Academy of the Cybermen
by Crystal Rose of Pollux
Summary: After receiving a call from an old friend of the Doctor's, Jamie and Zoe enroll as students in a science academy that has been the site of mysterious disappearances. The Doctor goes undercover as a teacher, and soon, the plot thickens as the clues point to some familiar foes.
1. Many Meetings

_Notes: The characters aren't mine, and the story is! This is a pre-War Games story featuring Two, Jamie, Zoe, and some other familiar faces._

* * *

Zoe Heriot sat snugly in the chair in the TARDIS console room, reading a book on quantum physics. She had been traveling with the Doctor and Jamie long enough to pay no mind to the din that the two tended to create with surprising frequency. She had quickly learned to adapt to the antics of the displaced Highland piper and the equally-displaced… whatever-it-was the Doctor was—she was convinced he was a humanoid reptile of some kind. Noise was an unavoidable thing between those two, mainly because everything seemed to be a competition for them. This day had been no exception—

"Are ye sure that this is all there is t' this game, Doctor?"

"Well, yes and no. Cricket has several rules, but the basic idea is to hit the ball with the bat. Now, let's see you try to counter my bowling skills, shall we?"

"Och, I can counter yer bowling skills just fine!"

"Is that so!? Just you try it, then!"

The sound of the ball hitting the bat let out a resounding crack, which was then followed by a series of bounces as the ball escaped the sports room, rebounded as it sped down the corridor, and rolled to a stop past Zoe's feet and just in front of the console.

Zoe ignored it. How two adult beings, one of them twenty-four and the other four hundred and fifty-one, could act like a pair of five-year-olds was an utter mystery as far as she was concerned.

"…That was very well done, Jamie. Well done, indeed," the Doctor admitted. "In fact, hitting the ball outside the boundary is a guaranteed way to get the most points—four or six, depending on when the ball hits the ground. But one ball outside the boundary doesn't make you an instant expert at cricket. Let's try again."

"Shall I go get the ball?"

"Oh, let's not bother Zoe; I've got plenty of spares…"

Zoe was only vaguely aware of all this commotion going on; she continued to read her book in contentment until a new sound reached her ears—the sound of the TARDIS's telephone ringing.

More shouts and cracks of cricket balls meeting bats punctuated the ringing. Realizing that neither the Doctor nor Jamie would be stopping their game (assuming they could even hear it), she took the call herself.

"Hello?" she said, idly wondering who had the number to the TARDIS.

"…Hello," a man said, after a pause, as though trying to figure out who she was. He then made a guess, hesitantly. "…Vicki?"

"No; I'm Zoe," she said. "…There's no Vicki here, I'm afraid. Are you sure you have the right number?"

"Well, is the TARDIS?"

"Yes, it is," Zoe said, now wondering who Vicki was and what her role on the TARDIS had been.

"Oh, good," the man said. "Can I speak with the Doctor, please?"

"Well…" Zoe said, turning her head towards the inner corridor. There was the sound of another crack of cricket ball meeting bat, the sound of a crash, and then—

"Och, sorry, Doctor; I hope that wasnae an antique…"

"No, no; quite the opposite, in fact—it's from the 39th century. And there's plenty more where that came from. Let's continue."

"…I'm afraid the Doctor can't come to the phone right now," Zoe said. "…He's in a very involved game of two-person cricket."

She was met with silence, and, for a moment, wondered if she had lost the connection on the man spoke again.

"…I'm sorry, but did you say that the Doctor was playing _cricket_? The _Doctor?_"

"Believe me, it's an improvement from the rugby," Zoe said.

"…I imagine it is," the man said, sounding as though he had taken a moment to wrap his brain around the thought. "Once he's finished, could you tell him that Ian Chesterton wished to meet him in the headmistress's office of the City Science Academy in London? The date is the 31st of August, 1969, and it's two in the afternoon, Greenwich time."

"I'll be sure to tell him," Zoe promised.

"Thank you," Ian said. Before the connection was cut, however, Zoe heard him mumble, "_Rugby_?" in a most baffled tone.

Shrugging to herself, she placed the phone back just as the sounds in the sports room became rather heated.

"Alright, Doctor, ye've tested oot my batting skills enough; now I want t' see if ye can handle my bowling."

"Jamie, I think we should focus on your batting for now and have the bowling lesson tomorrow," the Doctor responded.

"…Ye're just afraid ye won' be able to hit the ball because I've thrown the shot put at the Highland Games, and ye think I'll throw the ball with the same amount of force!"

"I am not afraid!" the Doctor sputtered.

"Aye? Then let me bowl!"

There were the sounds of a struggle.

"Let go! …Jamie, watch out for the—!"

There was the sound of something falling over, and what sounded like three dozen cricket balls hitting the floor and rolling every which way.

"Oh, _Jamie_!"

"…Sorry…" the piper replied, sheepishly.

More cricket balls were starting to roll into the console room, followed by the Doctor and Jamie, who were struggling to gather them up.

"Terribly sorry to disturb you, Zoe," the Doctor said, with an apologetic look, as he saw that she was on her feet.

"Oh, don't worry; it wasn't because of this," she assured him. "I'd just been answering the phone."

"Someone called me?" the Doctor asked, surprised. "I don't give the TARDIS's number out liberally; who could have called this number intentionally?"

"It was a Mr. Ian Chesterton; he wanted…" Zoe trailed off as a look of joy blossomed across the Doctor's lined face.

"Old Chatterfield!?" he exclaimed. "Odd; I don't ever recall giving him the number… Oh, of course, my granddaughter must have…"

"Your _granddaughter_?" Jamie and Zoe echoed.

But the Doctor was already at the console, eagerly setting the dials.

"Imagine that—Ian deciding to call me; I wonder what he wanted to talk about after all this time…"

"I'm getting to that; he wants you to meet him at the City Science Academy of London, the 31st of August, 1969," Zoe said.

"Is that so?" the Doctor mused. "Something must be afoot…"

"Aye, but who is this chappie?" Jamie asked. "Can we trust him?"

"Oh, Jamie, I would trust him with my life," the Doctor said. "…Actually, I _have_—and on more than one occasion…"

The TARDIS now materialized in the back alley of the school, but even as they stepped outside, a man was heading towards them—calmly, though there was a spark of excitement in his eyes.

The Doctor was all smiles as he beheld the approaching man, who greeted them all and glanced at the TARDIS doors, as if expecting someone else to emerge from them.

The Doctor cleared his throat to redirect attention, much to the man's confusion.

"You must be Ian Chesterton," Zoe observed.

"Yes. And you must be Zoe," Ian said, looking back to the TARDIS in confusion. "Is the Doctor alright?"

"He's perfectly fine," Jamie said, indicating the Doctor, who extended his arms towards Ian with a broad grin on his face.

Ian stared at the Doctor in utter befuddlement.

"There must be some mistake…" he said.

The Doctor let out a mock sigh.

"Not a mistake, Chesterfield—an improvement," the Doctor said. "After everything I showed you—a craft that travels through time and space that's bigger on the inside and looks like a police box, Daleks and Aztecs and Sensorites, jaunts to ancient Rome and the Crusades—you doubt that man from another world can change his appearance?"

Ian now smiled.

"Though, if still you doubt me, do take a look at my old library card, won't you?" the Doctor said.

Jamie and Zoe caught a glimpse of a photo of a white-haired man on the library card as he handed it to Ian. Jamie recognized the man on the library card as the same one in some of Ben Jackson's old photos—photos of the Doctor before he had changed to the way he looked now.

"Truly remarkable," Ian said, looking from the library card to the Doctor. "But… You never mentioned…"

"Never mentioned that I could change my appearance?" the Doctor finished. "Yes, well, unfortunately, to do so involves a rather painful process, so it was one I never cared to go into. But I seem to have benefitted from this change—a much more spry body. And I am glad to no longer need that cane."

"Yes, that accounts for the cricket and rugby…" Ian said, prompting the Doctor to smirk mischievously.

"You were imagining my former self doing those things?"

"It was a very odd mental image," Ian said, handing the Doctor back the library card.

"But also an amusing one, I gather," the Doctor replied. "…And I really must update that card."

Jamie cleared his throat as he rolled his eyes, convinced that the Doctor never would update it.

"Oh, yes, of course," the Doctor said. "Ian, I want you to meet my current traveling companions—Zoe Heriot, you already spoke to. And this is James McCrimmon—Jamie, as we call him. Both of them are human, such as yourself."

Ian shook their hands and exchanged greetings before looking back to the Doctor.

"I am glad to see that you're not traveling alone," he said.

"…So am I," the Doctor admitted, sobering for a moment. He quickly regained his cheerful demeanor. "So, then; as Zoe here told me, you specifically requested my presence. While I am sure that you missed me as much as I missed you, I think it's safe to assume that you didn't call me here to reminisce."

"I'm afraid that's true, Doctor," Ian said, still marveling at his friend's changed appearance. "Barbara and I have been working at this academy for the last three years; I've been teaching chemistry, and Barbara is serving as headmistress here. And, up until this past spring term, everything was normal as can be."

The Doctor arched an eyebrow.

"And what started happening to changed that?"

"A mysterious disappearance and an annoying rash of robberies," Ian said. "We're much more concerned about the former, of course. Barbara has the full details; she's expecting us."

"Oh, yes, you wanted to meet in her office," the Doctor recalled. "It shall be nice to see her again, as well! Jamie, Zoe, come along; you'll both like Barbara, I'm sure of it!"

* * *

Once Barbara was eventually convinced that the dark-haired jester who was approaching her was indeed the same person as the white-haired grump she had first met in Totter's Lane, she warmed up to his new antics, as well as to Jamie and Zoe. Like Ian, she marveled at the Doctor's change for a moment before quickly getting back to the matter at hand.

"While it is wonderful to see you again, I do wish it was under better circumstances," she said. "Since the spring term, we have been through four physics teachers here at the City Science Academy. One of them was killed in a freak accident, and two of them quit without any notice. The most recent one vanished without a trace just as the term was ending—there was no note or anything to give us a clue as to where he had gone."

"We had the police come and investigate both during the death and during the disappearance," Ian added. "They couldn't come up with an explanation for either of them. Barbara and I discussed it, as well, and have been discussing it over the summer holidays. …And we both realized the last time we had to discuss an odd matter, the answer ended up having an… unearthly explanation."

"Yes, and I know exactly how _that_ story ended," the Doctor mused. "…But you suspect that there is an unearthly entity at work here now?"

"Yes, and our feeling is growing with each passing day," Barbara said. "And if that is the case, we would certainly feel more at ease in regards to the safety of our staff and students if you were here to help. There are few who would believe us, and even if they would, there is little help that they could give us. We were hoping that you could spare us some of your time to look into our situation."

"My dear Barbara," the Doctor said, kindly. "You and Ian were the first to humanize me—something which, no doubt, influenced the person I eventually changed into, and something that opened my hearts, allowing me to appreciate the company of those I wouldn't have appreciated otherwise." He held Jamie and Zoe close to him, who both clung back. I could give you both all the time I had left, and it still wouldn't be enough to pay the debt I owe you."

"And to think I once said that gratitude would be the last thing you'd ever have," Barbara mused. "Doctor, we don't ask this of you to pay off any sort of debt."

"We're only asking this as a favor," Ian agreed.

"In that case, it's one that I'm more than willing to grant," the Doctor said. "As for Jamie and Zoe, I'll leave it up to them if they want to take any part in this."

"Of course we do!" Zoe said.

"Aye, as if we'd let ye go at it alone…" Jamie added.

"Then it could work out very easily," Barbara said, after thinking for a moment. "We still haven't managed to find a replacement physics teacher; you could take the position, Doctor. That would allow you to talk to the other teachers and access areas of the school that are restricted to the students."

"Which, I presume, you and Ian have already gone over, but would like my opinion on, as well?" the Doctor asked.

"Correct," Barbara said. "If there is something unearthly, your eyes would be better trained than ours."

"Don't dismiss your own skills of observation," the Doctor said, kindly. "Now, what about Jamie and Zoe?"

"Well, we could easily have Zoe enrolled as a student," Barbara said. "…As for Jamie… Well… I suppose we could have him enrolled as a student who returned to complete his education after taking a break for some reason or other. They could live in the dormitories with the other students and gather information from them."

"Live in the dormitories!?" Jamie and Zoe both exclaimed.

"Is there a problem?" Barbara asked.

"I'm afraid I've never socialized with other students before," Zoe admitted. "I was enrolled in the Elite Programme for my entire education; I was privately tutored."

"I'm certain that you'll fit in just fine," Barbara assured her. She then looked to Jamie. "And how about you?"

"Aye, all of my education was private, too," Jamie said, blushing. "But I wasnae in the Elite Programme."

"What program were you in?" Ian asked.

"Well, that doesn't matter, I'm sure," the Doctor said, wanting to save Jamie from embarrassment. "I'm sure you'll fit right in, just like Zoe will."

Jamie gave the Doctor a quick look of thanks; he normally didn't mind too much that he'd had no formal education while Zoe had received such an advanced one, but he wasn't so keen on letting Ian and Barbara know that this was the first time he had ever set foot inside a school. Had it not been for all of the Doctor's private lessons since meeting Jamie, the piper wouldn't even have been literate.

"Oh, and one other matter," the Doctor added. "I believe Ian was mentioning about a rash of robberies, as well?"

"As I mentioned, it's lower on our list of concerns," Ian said. "The robberies started during the previous term, as well—I presume one of our students got a little bit greedy."

"Well, that's no reason not to look into it if we get any clues," the Doctor mused.

"Aye, we'll watch oot for those thieves," Jamie added, enthusiastically.

"Thank you all for your help," Barbara said. "But do remember to be careful; we don't want anything to happen to you."

"The new term starts tomorrow," Ian added. "Shall I show you three around?"

"Oh, yes; that would be helpful," the Doctor said. "And tomorrow, the adventure begins!"


	2. School Daze

Ian seemed to be impressed that Jamie was writing everything down in a small notebook as he showed the others around the school. In reality, Jamie was petrified of getting lost during his first day of classes and was determined to avoid that.

Jamie was also determined not to let on that he had never had an education aside from the Doctor's lessons, so when Ian gave him and Zoe copies of their textbooks, Jamie immediately began to read them once they returned to the TARDIS for the night—their last night in the TARDIS for however long their investigation would take. It was getting late, and while Zoe had already retreated to her room to turn in, the Doctor observed that Jamie had no intentions of stopping his cramming session.

"Jamie," he said, gently. "I only need a couple hours of sleep, but I do think you need significantly more than that. You'll want to be fully rested for tomorrow. …It is your first day of school, after all."

"Aye, exactly. I don' want anyone in the school knowing that I'm nae clever," Jamie insisted.

"Now, Jamie," the Doctor said, taking the book out of the piper's hands. "There are different kinds of cleverness—we've discussed this before."

"Aye, but there's only one sort of cleverness that matters in an academy," Jamie pointed out.

"And you've got it!" the Doctor insisted. "More than you realize, too! It was never given a chance to grow, so you never knew you had it until the lessons I gave you. You have far more cleverness than you know!"

"I want others t' know it," the piper declared. "And they can only know if I get good marks."

"Now, really, Jamie, I'm clever, and yet I received pathetic marks when I went to Academy back on my home planet; I only just managed to pass my exams… on the second attempt," the Doctor admitted, with a sigh. "Koschei was the one who got better marks than me—you tell me which one of us you'd rather travel with. Considering we left him in a black hole, I can assume you'd rather stay with me."

"Aye."

"Well, that settles it, then! Now, get some sleep—and I am certain that you shall do fine tomorrow."

Jamie looked as though he was going to protest this prediction, but then thought better of it.

"I just hope ye're right," he said, at last.

The Doctor smiled.

"There aren't many things that I'm as sure of as this," he promised. "Now, go get some sleep and prepare for what lies ahead. And once our little investigation is finished, I'll let you test out your cricket skills again."

"Ye'll let me bowl!?"

"Absolutely."

The piper liked the sound of it, and he mulled over this for a moment before looking back to his stack of books.

"Aye, then; goodnight, Doctor."

* * *

The morning rush involved a quick breakfast before Jamie and Zoe headed to leave their things in their respective dormitories. The Doctor, all tidied up with his hair neatly brushed and parted, and now clad in a well-fitting, sharp suit, chose to escape the morning rush of arriving students alongside Ian in the staff room.

"Can I get you anything?" Ian asked, indicating the hot and cold drinks. "A soft drink, perhaps? Or, if you prefer, coffee, tea…" He smirked before adding, "Cocoa."

The Doctor winced, prompting Ian to chuckle.

"You _would_ bring that up…" the Time Lord muttered. "Just tea for me, thanks."

"Of course," Ian said, pouring two cups of tea for them.

The tea seemed to cheer up the Doctor's mood.

"I simply must thank you and Barbara again for letting Jamie and Zoe enroll here," he said. "Not only will they be helpful in the investigation, I feel as though they can both benefit from this experience that they missed out on."

"Well, Barbara and I had hoped you wouldn't be traveling alone," Ian said. "So we had made arrangements. …Ah, about Vicki…"

"She married a prince of Troy, if you're wondering what happened to her," the Doctor explained.

"Just like Susan, then," Ian said, with a wan smile. "I guess once you've fallen in love, you want to stay where you know you belong—together."

"Is that why you and Barbara left?"

This caught Ian by surprise.

"Did you think I wouldn't have noticed?" the Doctor mused, seeing his expression. "Even Susan could see it!"

"We were both homesick, Barbara and I," Ian admitted. "Though, ah… The idea of stability sounded nice after dealing with Daleks and whatnot."

"And have you… made a cup of cocoa for Barbara yet?" the Doctor inquired, his eyes sparkling with interest.

"Not yet," Ian admitted. "Though the thought has crossed my mind on several occasions. This position here at the Academy… Well, it's nice, but I've got my eye on other opportunities that would be a bit better, financially speaking. I'd want to ensure a bit of a nest egg before I… made that cup of cocoa."

"…I'm afraid I can't begin to understand, being a bit of a vagabond," the Doctor admitted. "But if you think it best, then that is what you must do. Just… don't wait too long; you don't know how much time you've got."

Ian gave a nod.

"I am aware of that," he admitted. "And how about you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Have you ever given any thought to having a family again now that Susan's out on her own?"

"Well…" the Doctor mused. "…I suppose I've got one now, for as long as Jamie and Zoe are willing to stay. …I know Jamie has insisted he's never going to leave the TARDIS—he's been with me for over two years now, with plenty of opportunities to go, but here he is. Zoe has been with us for a year now—she stowed away on the TARDIS." He chuckled. "Unless something unforeseen occurs, I do believe they'll stay for as long as humanly possible."

"They do seem very fond of you," Ian said. "And you of them. I've only known her a short while, but Zoe is already reminding me of Susan—she must remind you of her, as well."

"Oh, my word, yes," the Doctor chuckled. "I think that's partly the reason why I didn't argue too much when she invited herself along."

"And does Jamie remind you of anyone?" Ian asked.

"Yes—me," the Doctor mused. "He's more like me than he realizes, you know—even if he doesn't know it, he can feel it; I expect that's why he's so determined to stay with me—kindred spirits, and all. …And if he is as much like me as I suspect, then you'd better watch out."

"Oh?" Ian asked, arching an eyebrow.

"…I had a bit of a reputation for causing trouble during my own Academy days on my home planet," the Doctor admitted. "I was quite wild in my youth; you should have seen some of the things my teacher wrote about me."

"…I think I'd rather not know. And I'll be sure to keep an eye on Jamie, as well," Ian said, pausing to check his watch. "We'd better get the classrooms in order; the students will be arriving soon."

"Ah, yes," the Doctor said, finishing the rest of his tea. "Now remember; we went over this with Barbara yesterday—for as long as I'm here, I'm Doctor John Smith."

"One of many on this planet," Ian mused.

"Well, it was Jamie's name for me some time ago, and I'm rather fond of it. Its apparent commonness will also benefit me in the end, I'm sure," the Doctor said, on his way out. "I shan't have much chance to look around until lunchtime, but I shall do a bit of poking about then."

"Be careful, Doctor; the last thing we want would be for you or Jamie or Zoe to get hurt," Ian said.

"Aren't I always careful?" the Doctor asked, and he smiled sheepishly at the look on Ian's face. "Well, most of the time?"

"I think I shall refrain from answering that," Ian said, as he headed out the door, as well. "Good luck."

* * *

Jamie tried not to look out-of-place as he entered his dormitory. There were two rooms with a bunk bed each adjoining each other, through the inner door, he could see two boys busy with various books; one had neatly brushed ginger hair, reading a book on the possibility of alien life, and the other had short, dirty-blond hair, reading a book on logical thought processing.

"Ah… hello?" he asked.

The two of them gave him a glance, and a third boy now appeared at the inner door—this one with long, dark hair, similar to what Jamie had seen in pictures of popular singers of the decade.

"Hello," he said, as the redhead now joined him to greet Jamie, pausing to glance at Jamie's clearly older features, and at his kilt. "We were wondering how long it would take for them to get a fourth person in here—three years, apparently." The dark-haired boy now extended his hand. "Luke."

"Jamie," the piper said, shaking it.

"And I'm Percival," the redhead said, also shaking Jamie's hand.

"Aye, nice to meet ye both," Jamie said. He silently glanced back at the short-haired boy, still reading his books.

"That's Reginald," Luke said. "Take my advice and just let him keep to himself; he's not exactly the pleasant type."

"It is impossible to be pleasant when I share my quarters with such rabble," Reginald scoffed. "They're letting this clearly older fellow in a skirt into the Academy? Admissions must be scraping the bottom of the barrel."

Jamie made a move to enter the room, but Luke and Percival held him back.

"Leave off, Reg!" Luke snapped. He turned back to Jamie. "He's not worth it. You won't have to deal with him, anyway; you'll be bunking in here with me."

"Ye don' mind?" Jamie asked Percival, indicating the other bunk that he had to share with Reg.

"I can stand him," Percival said. "Mainly because I'm too busy with a little project I've been working on to pay him any mind."

"Project?" Jamie asked.

"Oh, here we go…" Luke sighed.

"It's an interesting and relevant project," Percival reminded Luke. He turned to Jamie. "You remember about a year and a half ago, there was this great web in the Underground, and people were saying there were Yetis about?"

Jamie's face fell, involuntarily recalling how he had badly botched the Doctor's plan to stop the Great Intelligence.

"Aye…"

"And then, earlier this year, there were reports of metal men in the sewers, and all those strange sounds?" Percival continued.

"Aye."

"I am convinced that those were signs of alien activity here on Earth."

"Percival here is convinced that alien abductions and invasions happen on Earth on a regular basis," Luke explained. "Furthermore, he's convinced that Headmistress Wright and Mr. Chesterton, the chemistry teacher, were once abducted by aliens, returned to Earth, and are just refusing to admit it."

"…Oh," Jamie said, not sure how to respond to that.

"For all we know, there could be an alien in this very building _right now_," Percival said.

Jamie just nodded, quietly amused at how Percival was spot on and had absolutely no idea.

"Right, you can give him the full version of your project later on," Luke said. "We need to get to class." He turned to Jamie. "Better get into your uniform."

"Aye, I know…" the piper sighed. He had been putting off changing until the last minute, absolutely dreading the thought of wearing trousers all day. "I'll… go t' the washroom and change."

"We've got physics class first," Luke called after him. "Oi, I wonder who they got in to teach it now…"

"And how long he lasts," Percival sighed.

"You still think aliens had something to do with the others, don't you?" Luke said, rolling his eyes.

Jamie wasn't about to dismiss Percival's theory, he decided, as he went to change. Knowing their luck, it was likely that aliens would be involved. And if they were, well… it helped that, this time, the physics teacher would be an alien, too. And Jamie fully intended to defend the Doctor with his life, if need be.

* * *

It wasn't that Zoe was shy; on the contrary, she was used to meeting and greeting new people since she started traveling with the Doctor and Jamie, and even before that, due to the crew changes that happened on the Wheel. She was, however, very self-conscious; she hadn't been blind to the fact that her intellect had been a point of contention between her and Jamie—and there were times when it still was. And though she was considerably better with realizing her emotions than when she had been on the Wheel, Leo's comment of her being "all brain and no heart" still stuck in the back of her mind. The last thing she wanted was to get off on the wrong foot with her new peers on account of either her emotional awkwardness or her intelligence.

Nevertheless, she did her best to mask all of her insecurities as she entered her assigned dormitory; there were two girls in deep conversation inside the first room, which, as with the boys' dormitory, had an inner door leading to a second room. She cleared her throat, and the girls looked towards her.

"Hello," Zoe said. "I'm Zoe; I was assigned to this dormitory."

"Hello, Zoe," said one of the girls—a tall brunette, greeting her with a smile. "I'm Sandra, and this is Minerva." She indicated the blonde next to her. "…Do you need any help with your bags?"

"Oh, please don't bother; I've only got just the one bag, anyway," Zoe said, carrying it inside.

"You've been to an academy before, then?" Minerva asked, looking impressed with Zoe's luggage.

"No, actually; I've been tutored all my life," Zoe admitted.

"I'd never have guessed by looking at you; it's usually all of us in our final year who don't bother with bringing everything we own—we know what we need to get by," Minerva said.

Zoe let out a chuckle in spite of her nervousness.

"We weren't sure of what you preferred—whether you wanted your own bunk or if you didn't mind sharing with one of us," Sandra said. "It's only the three of us in this dormitory; if you have a preference."

"Well… Oh, I guess anything will be fine," Zoe said, even though she would have gladly preferred her own bunk.

"Well… Sandra and I have known each other since our first year; you can bunk by yourself until you've gotten to know us better," Minerva quickly offered, picking up Zoe's reluctance to speak up.

"Oh, thank you," Zoe said, a little too quickly. She mentally slapped herself. "I'm a little surprised that there would be a vacant place, though. I would think that an academy such as this would have people flocking to get in."

"It was like that," Sandra said. "…Up until last term. Several people transferred; the two other girls who used to room with us were among them."

"But why?" Zoe asked.

"Things started happening," Minerva said. "The teachers were getting hurt—or worse—or just up and quitting, and people started stealing things. Someone took my good pair of earrings; I'm still highly miffed by that."

"I can see why," Zoe said, hoping that she sounded sympathetic. She turned to Sandra. "Did you lose anything?"

"Just a hair clip," she said. "It was a rather nice hair clip, I grant you—gold plated, even! But at least it wasn't a solid gold ring like poor unlucky Luke."

"Luke?"

"One of the boys in our year. Someone stole the ring he'd inherited from his late father," Minerva said, shaking her head.

"Oh, dear…" Zoe said.

"I doubt that admissions warned you, seeing as though it wouldn't be in their best interest to scare you off, but if you have any jewelry of any kind, you'd best keep it in a safe place," Sandra added.

"Actually, carry it with you," Minerva advised. "I thought I had hidden my earrings well, but… evidently not."

"I would've taken that advice to heart had it not been for the fact that I have nothing," Zoe said, with a good-natured smile. "…I was a ward of the state, you see; I… Well, never mind that."

Sandra and Minerva now glanced at each other for a moment before glancing at Zoe's tiny, lone bag.

"You know, Zoe, if you want to borrow anything of ours, just ask us," Sandra said, at last.

"Oh, it's quite alright," Zoe said. "Just give me access to some good books, and that's all I need."

"The library's open in the mornings at seven and is closed at ten," Minerva informed her. "The hours are a bit less on weekends, but to be honest, no one really goes there during the weekends."

"No?" Zoe asked.

"Almost everyone usually has a late start on Saturday, on account of going somewhere the night before, providing there isn't an exam round the corner," Sandra said. "A nice evening out takes the monotony of student life."

"Yes, I suppose it would…" Zoe said.

"You are welcome to come along with us, of course," Minerva added. "We wouldn't want you to feel left out—"

A small alarm clock started ringing on a table in the other room.

"Hold that thought, will you?" Sandra asked Minerva. "We'd best get to class; there's no telling how strict the new physics teacher will be, and we don't want to be late and find out that way."

Zoe idly wondered just how strict the Doctor would be as a teacher in a classroom setting—one on one lessons with Jamie couldn't possibly compare to controlling a room full of students.

She pushed the thought aside, quickly heading to the other room to change into her uniform, grabbed her books, and then followed Sandra and Minerva to class. They both had quite a lot to say on the subject of the robberies—rightly so, as they were both victims of the thief. However, as Ian had said earlier, solving that mystery was nowhere near as important as the other one.

Later, she decided, she would ask them what they knew of the missing teachers. Hopefully, they would have a lot of information to give on that, too.


	3. The Game is Afoot

_Notes: as I understand it, a 54 s a passing score in the UK grading system. Also, Mavis Newkirk is a cameo from another fandom, complete with a call forward to a future crossover fic I have planned._

* * *

Both Jamie and Zoe arrived at the classroom with their respective group of friends they had just made; though they gave each other a cursory wave hello, it was their glimpse of the Doctor's appearance that made them stare for a moment.

The crowd of students behind them quickly ushered them inside; Sandra and Minerva introduced Zoe to Luke and Percival, and they introduced Jamie to the girls.

"Ah, so you're Luke," Zoe said, shaking his hand as they were introduced. "I'm sorry to hear about your ring."

"Not as sorry as I am," Luke sighed. "I've been keeping an ear to the ground ever since it went missing—wondering if someone pawned it or sold it."

"Nothing?" Zoe presumed.

"Not a sign of it. I half-wonder if the missing physics teacher ran off with it; something about him was shady… You know he got nervous after a few weeks? He was shaking in his shoes the whole time after that. For a while, a lot of us were wondering if he ran for it because he couldn't cope."

"Couldn't be that; he knew what he was talking about," Percival stated. "I still say it was aliens scaring him into leaving—or making him vanish."

"Oh, right, because aliens would want him to run off with a gold ring, a hair clip, earrings, and all the rest of the jewelry that went missing. Because aliens really dig that stuff, right?" Luke replied, giving Percival a slow burn; he stopped only after the Doctor cleared his throat to usher the students to their seats.

Jamie sat in the back with Luke and Percival, while Zoe sat towards the front, with Sandra and Minerva sitting right behind her.

"He looks like a right stickler," Luke said quietly, commenting on the Doctor. "Can't imagine we'll get away with much with this one."

"What do ye mean?" Jamie asked.

"The nervous one I mentioned? Once he started getting all scared, he didn't care what we did anymore—"

"Good morning," the Doctor said, briskly, cutting off Luke's train of thought. "I am Doctor John Smith, your new physics teacher. Now, as I understand it, due to some circumstances beyond anyone's control concerning the situation with your teachers the previous term, you have all been left slightly behind, is that correct?"

There was a collective murmur in the affirmative.

"I also understand that you never had your physics exams last term, either, as your lessons were not completed. Therefore…" The class collectively stared in horror as the Doctor produced a stack of exam papers. "We shall begin with this—fifty multiple-choice questions, worth two marks each; you may begin when you receive it."

"You're giving us an exam on the first day!?" Luke blurted out, as Jamie stared in utter horror. "Ah, Sir?"

"It's for me to see where I need to pick up from," the Doctor said, nonchalantly passing the exams out, ignoring Jamie's expression, which was akin to one who had been utterly betrayed.

"What about roll call; shouldn't you be doing that?" one of the students asked, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression.

"Well, obviously, if you take the exam, you are here," the Doctor said. "Now, there's no reason to get yourselves irked over this; as I said, it's only to be used as a reference for myself." He paused, realizing exactly what they wanted to hear, and allowed a mischievous smirk to cross his features. "It shan't count towards your overall score in the class—" A collective sigh of relief punctuated this. "—But do try to make an honest effort of it."

Jamie and Zoe didn't share in their classmates' relief, albeit for different reasons—Zoe hadn't been concerned to begin with, knowing that her knowledge was well beyond the level of the coursework, and Jamie still wanted to prove himself. The piper swore under his breath as he glanced upon the very unfamiliar words, though a few of them did ring some bells; Zoe flew through the questions and received several stares when she announced that she was finished only five minutes after starting.

This didn't escape Luke's attention, who was opting to slack off now that he knew the marks wouldn't count.

"Look at that," he murmured to Jamie. "Three years in this academy, and that's the first time that I've ever seen anyone finish an exam faster than Reg ever could. This Zoe is some chick."

Jamie just shrugged, trying to concentrate.

"I almost wish Reg was here to see this…" Luke continued.

"Where is he?"

"He's finished with all of his physics classes already, and I'm sorry he missed this. Imagine… someone who is smarter than Reg and can show up Reg, but doesn't act like a snob. Doesn't act like a know-it-all, either."

Jamie let out a quiet scoff at this.

"Aye, she can be a know-it-all if ye give her half the chance," he whispered.

"She doesn't come across that way to me," Luke whispered.

"That's because ye don' live with her," Jamie replied, without thinking. He then mentally slapped himself for giving too much information.

"…What…?" Luke whispered, puzzled.

"She's… my half-sister," Jamie bluffed.

"…Oh."

Eventually, everyone finished the exam; Jamie ended up finishing before Luke, though he had stopped caring long ago.

"That will be all for today; once I find out where the class stands, we'll pick up the lessons tomorrow," the Doctor announced. "Oh, and Mr. McCrimmon, may I see you for a moment, please?"

Luke gave Jamie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Percival and I will wait for you outside; the girls probably will, too," he said, as he left with the other students.

Jamie thanked him and sighed as the last student closed the door behind them.

"While I am glad to see that you have made friends already, for future reference, talking during an exam is severely frowned upon," the Doctor said. "Don't think I didn't notice it."

"He started it."

"Be that as it may… Oh, and while I'm offering advice, you have kneecaps, so I suggest walking like you have them."

"I hate trousers," the piper said, flatly.

"I understand that; however—"

"The minute this is over and done with, I am shredding these trousers with my claymore," Jamie stated.

"…Isn't that rather excessive?" the Doctor asked.

"No."

"Just asking… And if you are upset with me for not telling you about the exam beforehand, I cannot be giving you special treatment; you know that."

"Aye," Jamie sighed. "I wouldnae have done well, anyway, e'en f I had known."

"…For the record, you received 54 marks. Not bad at all for your first exam—containing quite a bit of unfamiliar material."

"I guessed a lot," Jamie admitted.

"Well, you'll hopefully soon reach the point where you shan't have to guess. Now go on, then—Zoe and your new friends are waiting outside."

"Oh, aye—oh no!"

"What is it?" the Doctor asked.

"Luke thinks Zoe is my half-sister; I have to let Zoe know before she gives me away!" Jamie exclaimed.

He barreled towards the door, opening it just as he heard Luke talking about that very subject.

"I guessed that you and Jamie knew each other, but I never could have guessed that you were related!"

"…What…?" Zoe asked, puzzled.

"Och, come on now, Zoe," Jamie said. "I know it's hard for ye to accept that I'm yer half-brother. Guess that's what comes from having so many years between us."

"Oh, yes," Zoe said, catching on. "Plus, we were raised for so long apart, sometimes it's very easy to forget."

"Zoe was telling us that she was a ward of the state; I guess you were, too?" Sandra asked.

"…Aye," Jamie said. _Whatever that means_.

"Lucky you found each other," Percival said. "Oh, and what did the Doc want?"

"Hmm? Oh, he was just talking aboot my exam score since I havenae been in school… in a while, I mean."

"Well, if that's all, I am going to buy everyone a round of drinks from the machine," Luke said. "Who wants what? I'll meet you with the bottles at Mr. Chesterton's chemistry class."

Everyone chimed in with an order except for Jamie, who didn't have a knowledge of different soft drinks, and said to bring him anything. Sandra and Minerva went to freshen up, while Percival decided to stop by the library and see if any books on alien life had come in. Zoe debated on going with Sandra and Minerva before deciding against it.

"Half-sister?" she asked Jamie, once the others had gone.

"Och, I had to say something," Jamie said. "I accidentally let it slip that we live together, and I di'n want Luke t' get the wrong idea."

"Wrong idea!?" Zoe exclaimed. "Oh, Jamie, get your mind out of the gutter!"

"It's nae me!" the piper protested. "It's all ye future people who have yer minds down there! Back in my day, we thought of nothing of having five people in a bed t' keep warm! It was practical, and no one insinuated anything! My first night aboard the TARDIS, I asked an innocent question regarding which bed we're all sleeping in." He made a face. "The looks that Ben and Polly gave me…"

"Well, I can see both your side of it and theirs," Zoe admitted, after thinking about it for a moment.

"They could nae see my side," Jamie muttered. "They would've teased me aboot it had the Doctor nae shut them up and explained to them about how Highlanders lived; he understood perfectly. But all these future people will nae!"

"If you wish to remain incognito, referring to your peers as 'future people' shall give the game away very quickly," the Doctor said, having opened the door and listened to their conversation for a while now. "I haven't even told Ian and Barbara where you've come from, so if anything slips out, it'll be on account of you. So don't do that. You too, Zoe; tau neutrinos haven't even been theorized yet, so all your little notations on the margins of your exam were things you aren't supposed to know. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Aye, Doctor."

"Good. Now, go and join your friends; they'll be expecting you to be there at Ian's classroom. Off you go, then."

Jamie and Zoe nodded, looking back at the Doctor and giggling to themselves for a moment.

"What now?"

"…Ye look like Salamander," Jamie said, plainly.

"Oh, go on…" the Doctor said, shooing them off. After they had gone, however, he took out a small mirror from his pocket and sighed in exasperation as he realized that Jamie did have a point.

Well, as long as he passed for a human, that was all that mattered; he had two more classes to teach before lunch, but was hoping that he could pick up some stories in the staff room during midmorning break—that would, hopefully, give him a lead for where to look during lunch.

* * *

Luke handed out the drinks to everyone outside of Ian's classroom.

"Old Chesterton doesn't like us having drinks in there," he said. "So we'd best finish them out here. Still not sure what to make of that Smith—thought he was all strict, but then he was joshing us with that exam. He's… a hard fellow to read."

"And you were saying that the fellow before him—McNeil—was a bit lax?" Zoe asked.

"We could've eaten a full meal in his class towards the end, and he wouldn't have cared," Minerva agreed.

"He really was scared of something," Percival agreed. "He mentioned something about the one who'd died near the beginning of term—Murphy."

"What exactly happened to him?" Jamie asked, tearing his attention away from the cola, which had been the most remarkable beverage he had tasted in a long time.

"It was eerie," Luke said. "I swear, I was talking to him only… one hour before they found him? Less than an hour, even. I was asking him a question about an assignment, one hour later, people were screaming that they found him in the cellar with a broken neck."

"There was something faulty with the electricity at the time," Sandra recalled. "I think it was determined that he'd been going down the stairs when the lights went out, missed his footing in the dark, and… Well, you can imagine the rest."

Everyone flinched at the thought.

"But if it was an accident…" Jamie said. "Why was McNeil afraid of what happened?"

Luke shrugged.

"I don't know; he was muttering about Murphy—something about 'spare parts,' but I had no idea what that meant."

Ian was now beckoning everyone inside; they quickly finished their drinks and headed inside. Again, they sat in similar seats—the boys nearer to the back and the girls in the middle—but, this time, Reginald sat down next to Zoe, introducing himself to her.

"You must be Zoe Heriot," he said. "Several people have told me about your feat in this morning's physics class."

"…It was nothing, really," she said, trying to turn back to her chemistry book.

Luke frowned.

"What is this?" he asked. "Old Reg has never been so civil to anyone else before—well, if you can call pestering civil."

Jamie just shrugged, and frowned as Reginald pressed a conversation that Zoe clearly didn't want any part of. He was ready to tell him to leave her alone when Ian began to speak, forcing everyone to be silent, anyway.

Ian knew exactly where the class had left off the previous term and launched into a "quick review" of ionic and covalent bonds before starting the class off on the molecular structure hydrocarbons—complete with a model that looked to Jamie like a centipede built from tiny spheres and sticks.

The piper sighed, eagerly waiting for lunchtime, where he'd be able to use his more practical talents. And he knew exactly where he would be going—the cellar. Perhaps there was some evidence that was missed.

* * *

The Doctor had retreated back to the staffroom during the midmorning break as intended. He indulged in another cup of tea as another one of the teachers, smartly dressed with her brown hair in a bun, entered the room to get some coffee for herself.

"Hello," she greeted, an East End accent evident in her voice. "You must be the new physics teacher."

"Yes, quite," the Doctor said, extending a hand. "Doctor John Smith."

"Mavis Newkirk," she said, shaking his hand. "I teach biology to this lot. …Were you fighting in the last war, by any chance?"

"…Not as far as I know…" the Doctor replied, puzzled.

"My brother, Peter, met a Doctor John Smith during the war."

"…A Peter Newkirk? I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name," the Doctor answered. "Of course, my own name is a rather common one; it could have been another John Smith." _Or maybe I just haven't met him yet_.

"Yes, of course; I am sorry," Mavis said. "Never mind that, then. How have you been finding the students so far?"

"Well, it is a bit early to tell," the Doctor mused. "I did put a bit of a scare into them with an exam—though I told them later that it wouldn't count in the long run. I suppose they're still wondering what to make of me after that."

"I say, that is a clever idea; I might want to try that," Mavis chuckled. She sobered for a moment. "You will be careful, won't you?"

"Careful?" the Doctor asked.

"…I don't suppose they'd have told you," Mavis said. "We went through four physics teachers last term."

"Really?" the Doctor replied, feigning surprise.

"Two of them left, one of them fell down the cellar steps and died, and the most recent one vanished," she said. "I don't know what's going on; it's as though someone has a vendetta against the physics teachers."

"And it's only the physics teachers?" the Doctor queried. "No odd happenings occurred near you or any of the others?"

"Not as far as I know—well, other than my missing medal," Mavis replied.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, it's nothing; it's a little spoil of war my brother gave me after he came back home—some gold medal he'd nicked off of an enemy officer. Wouldn't you know someone nicked that very same medal from me? I haven't told my brother yet; he'd be so disappointed—and he'd probably come right here to try to steal it back."

"Oh, I am sorry," the Doctor said.

"I'm not the only one; a lot of the students and even some of the other teachers had things missing—a watch here, a necklace there…" the biology teacher sighed.

"…Which student would be absolutely brazen enough to steal from teachers?" the Doctor wondered aloud, more to himself.

"…I'd hate to think that it was one of the other teachers!" Mavis exclaimed.

"Well, I didn't mean that at all," the Doctor assured her. "Anyway, I shall be too busy watching myself for our physics-hater to bother about a few missing trinkets—"

Ian entered the room at that moment.

"Apologies," he said.

"No need to worry; we were just having a chat," the Doctor assured him.

"So have some of my students," Ian said. "I heard something about a surprise false exam nearly stopping a few hearts this morning."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Well, the looks on their faces were worth it…"

"I imagine they were," Ian said. "Can I get either of you a drink?"

"Just a coffee for me, please," Mavis said.

"I think I'm content at the moment; I only darted in here in case any of the students sought to complain about my little prank," the Doctor sighed. "I'd best be going back to the classroom and getting the next set of exams ready."

He exchanged a knowing look with Ian, letting his old friend know that he would be investigating a lead later that day.

As the Doctor left the staff room, his thoughts were turning to the fact that even the teachers had been victims of this thief. Someone very desperate had to have been going after the teachers' valuables. At any rate, he decided, that could wait. The first order of business would be to investigate the cellar where the unfortunate physics teacher had been found dead. However, as he headed back to the classroom, the Doctor was trying to ignore the little voice in the back of his mind suggesting that, perhaps, the thefts were somehow related.

"Missing trinkets, missing teachers…" the Doctor mused.

He gave his head a slight shake as he continued back to the classroom, casually glancing over his shoulder to survey the shuffling students.

It would soon be time to put Gallifreyan intuition to the test.


	4. Cascade

_Notes: Ian and Barbara's encounters with the Animus are from "The Web Planet" serial and the first installment of the "Prisoners of Time" comic. Two and Jamie's encounter happened in the novel _Twilight of the Gods_._

* * *

Jamie had been eagerly waiting for lunch break. Though Luke, Percival, Sandra, and Minerva had invited both him and Zoe to join them at one of the nearby eateries, Jamie declined, determined to find the school cellar. It didn't take too much effort to track it down, and with most students and teachers opting to eat outside, Jamie knew that he would likely go unnoticed in his endeavor.

"Physics and chemistry and maths…" he muttered, as he picked the lock on the cellar door. "I ne'er needed any of that. This is the sort of thing worth learning."

"Although I'm sure lock-picking isn't a skill that is highly praised," a voice behind him said.

Jamie jumped a foot in the air before whirling around to face Zoe, who was standing innocently behind him, her arms folded.

"Don' do that!" he exclaimed, and then frowned. "What are ye doing here?"

"Same reason as you, of course; we both wanted to know more about to Murphy, and we both decided that we could probably find some clue here," she said. "Go on then, unlock the door."

"Ye just said it wasnae a skill that's highly praised!"

"Doesn't mean that it isn't useful," Zoe admitted. "Are you going to unlock it, or shall I, _brother dear_?"

"Och, stop with that," Jamie muttered, as he finished unlocking the door. He frowned at the steps that led into the darkened room.

"Is there a light switch?" Zoe asked.

"Aye," the piper replied, flipping the switch. Nothing happened, and he tried a few more times before giving up and pulling a small torch from his pocket. "The lights don' work. Just follow me, and close the door behind ye."

"Well, mind your footing!" Zoe cautioned him.

"Aye, of course…"

Slowly, the duo worked their way down the stairs; the both of them nervously progressed forward until they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"So far, so good," Zoe said.

"Aye. Do ye have another torch of yer own? I think we can cover more ground if we split up."

"I didn't think to bring one," Zoe admitted.

"Oh? And ye're supposed t' be the clever one?"

"I wouldn't have had anywhere to put it; these skirts that they gave to us girls are so impractical! Not a pocket at all!"

"At least ye don' have t' wear trousers," the piper muttered, bitterly.

"Well, at least there's no one here to hear our argument; they'd think we're utterly mad, hearing our specific complaints about the uniforms…" Zoe mused.

She followed Jamie further into the cellar; a steady drip of water from a pipe was the only audible sound.

"It looks as though no one ever comes down here," Zoe commented, opening one of the boxes. "Look at all of these old textbooks… It's not even a store-room; they just placed all of these things here and forgot about them because they're outdated."

"Aye, but if that's the case… why are there no cobwebs?" Jamie wondered aloud. "No dust, either…"

Zoe blinked, taking another look.

"…You're right!" she admitted. "But they're only old textbooks; they look all battered and well-used." She glanced at one of the covers, trying to date the book. "…This one is from 1965. …And the ones we're using in our classes are from this year. These must've been stored here since last term."

"E'en so, there should be some dust or webs on them," Jamie insisted. "Ye clear a spiderweb in the morning, and by nightfall, it's back; I remember my mum always sweeping the corners of our—"

"Shh!" Zoe suddenly whispered.

"Wha—?"

Zoe clapped a hand over the piper's mouth, pulling them behind one of the stacks of boxes.

"I thought I saw something towards the back of the cellar," she whispered.

"What did it look like?" Jamie whispered back.

"Two, tiny bright red lights—lights that probably shouldn't be in this era," Zoe whispered back. "I saw it just for a second when your torchlight fell on it.

"Och, I knew I shouldnae have left my knife in the TARDIS…" Jamie muttered, beginning to crawl off.

"Where are you going!?" Zoe hissed.

"To see who's over there…!" Jamie whispered back.

"Jamie, you can't…!"

"It already knows we're here; we need to stop it from letting anything else know we're here, too!" the piper hissed back. "Where did ye see it?"

"Back there, behind some of those exposed pipes," she whispered. "Oh, but Jamie, do be careful!"

"Aye…"

Slowly, the piper crept forward on his hands and knees, trying to stay as much as he could behind the numerous stacks of boxes. Zoe, frantic with worry, began to rustle some of the boxes elsewhere to keep their quarry's attention.

As Jamie's eyes adjusted to the extremely dim light, he found that he could, indeed, discern a large shape coming out from behind the exposed piping. Whatever it was, it was crouching low, as Jamie was, but its attention was, thankfully, focused on the noises that Zoe was making.

The piper held his breath, not wanting whatever-it-was to hear him. He would only have one chance at this…

Quickly, he lunged forward, landing right on top of the thing and proceeded to wrap his strong arms around it.

"I've got it!" he exclaimed. "Zoe, I've caught the beastie!"

"Beastie!?" a familiar voice hissed. "Oh, for pity's sake, Jamie!"

"…Oh, no…" Zoe moaned, slapping her forehead. "Tapetum lucidum—I should've known…"

Jamie cringed, unwrapping one arm from around his prisoner to take out his torch again from his pocket. The piper could only stare as the little beam of light fell upon the face of the Doctor, whose alien eyes were reflecting the light with a red eyeshine—and whose lined face was furrowed into a most unpleasant frown.

"Fine pair of amateur detectives you are!" the Doctor muttered. "Students aren't even allowed in the cellar!"

"How are you even here?" Zoe asked. "The door was locked!"

"I'd locked it behind me, just in case anyone wanted to try to get in! I didn't expect that anyone would pick the lock and get in that way!"

"Sorry, Doctor," Jamie said, sheepishly. "We thought we'd follow some leads. What are ye doing here?"

"I'm planting daffodils!" the Time Lord scoffed. "What does it look like I'm doing—other than serving as your settee!?"

"Och, sorry…" Jamie said again, now releasing the Doctor and helping him up. "But since we all ended up here in the cellar while following separate leads, that has t' count for something, aye?"

"We'll discuss that later," the Doctor said, brushing his suit off. "What did you find out?"

"That this was where the dead physics teacher—Murphy—was found," Zoe said. "I guess we were hoping to find something that any investigators missed."

"Yes, so was I," the Doctor admitted. "Did you find out anything? Where was he before he came here?"

"I don' know," Jamie said. "Luke—that laddie I was sitting with—he was the last one to speak to him."

"He was?" the Doctor asked. "Jamie, why didn't you think to ask him the details of their conversation!? Where they were!? Anything!?"

Jamie blinked.

"…I di'n think of it…" he confessed.

"So it would seem," the Doctor sighed. "Well, then—you know what you must do now, Jamie?"

"Aye—ask Luke aboot his conversation with Murphy," Jamie said. "He might have some theories—he e'en thought that McNeil—the vanished one—stole his gold ring."

"Gold ring?"

"I can understand the solid-gold ring," Zoe said. "But why would he go after Sandra's hair clip? It's plated, not even solid gold."

"But there was gold in it?"

"Yes," she replied. "And Minerva lost a pair of earrings."

"Were those gold, as well?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm not sure; she didn't go into detail," Zoe said. "Do you want me to ask her about the earrings?"

"Yes, I think that would be a good idea…"

"Shouldn't she be asking Minerva and Sandra about the physics teachers first?" Jamie asked.

The Doctor pondered for a moment.

"You know, I've got an insistent spark of intuition in the back of my mind that insists that the unfortunate physics teachers have some link with the robberies, and it's growing more and more now that I've heard what you two have had to add to it," he admitted. "Now, I'm probably wrong… But, Zoe, I'd like for you to go see Barbara after your classes and get a full list of all of the missing items and see if there's a common link between all of them."

"You mean, if they're all gold," Zoe translated. "Certainly, but… gold is a valuable commodity here on Earth. Anyone greedy enough could have been driven to steal gold from people."

"I am aware of that," the Doctor said. "But gold is well-known among the folk of other planets, and for varying reasons. I'll explain later; right now, you two had best eat something and get ready for your afternoon classes. So must I, actually…"

"Aye," Jamie said. "And what aboot searching the basement?"

"As I said, you two aren't allowed down here, so Ian and I will manage this after classes," the Doctor said. "Now, let's try to rejoin everyone upstairs without drawing too much attention to ourselves—and you two had best eat something."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went without incident; Jamie sat through the remainder of his classes, his mind elsewhere. It was afterwards, when he, Luke, and Percival went back up to their dormitory to work on their homework, that the piper causally brought up the topic of Murphy.

"Don't really know what else I can tell you," Luke said, after thinking about it. "We were talking about the day's lesson. Well, actually, _I_ was trying to talk about the lesson; he was thinking about something else."

"Really?"

"He was staring at the floor; wouldn't take his eyes off of it," Luke said. "It was as though he was expecting something to rise up through the floor and attack him."

"You know what it could've been…" Percival began.

"Aliens?" Jamie and Luke chorused.

"Well, yeah," Percival said. "I did a bit of reading during lunch with the books I picked up in the library about aliens. This one will interest you, Jamie—did you know that there was an alien abduction reported in Scotland?"

"Along with the beastie in Loch Ness?" Jamie asked.

"Well, it wasn't too far from Loch Ness—it was on the battlefield of Culloden Moor, back in 1746," Percival said, oblivious to Jamie's sudden stunned look. "Apparently, this Scot was being pursued by the Redcoats, and he was whisked away in an alien craft that looked like a large, blue box."

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to Jamie.

"Do you believe that?"

"Er…" Jamie said, only able to shrug. "What do I know aboot these things?" …_A lot more than either of ye know, actually_….

Luke looked back to Percival.

"Can you tell me why aliens would abduct a Scot?"

"No one knows," Percival said. "Maybe the alien wanted to study a human specimen. Maybe the alien decided that a human was cheap labor."

"Maybe the alien was lonely and wanted someone to look after and explore the galaxy with," Jamie added.

"Don't encourage him, please," Luke said. "Anyway, I don't know if it was aliens or whatever that was scaring Murphy. Halfway through our conversation, he said that we couldn't continue it, and he told me to leave. Never saw him again."

"And then he was found dead in the cellar?" Jamie asked.

"That's right."

"Do ye have any idea where he could've gone between the classroom and the cellar?"

"Oh, we weren't in the classroom," Luke said. "Library. …Speaking of which, I think we need some supplemental books from there for this…" He pushed the biology assignment that Mavis had given them that afternoon. "You reckon we can hope that Ms. Newkirk is just like Doctor Smith, giving us something that isn't worth any marks?"

"No; I don' want to chance that…" Jamie said. "Aye, tell ye what—I'll go to the library and work on the biology work. Ye two stay here and work on the chemistry and maths—we can exchange answers later."

"If it's less for me to do, I'm for it," Luke said. "I think I'm going to like this arrangement. What do you think, Perce?"

"I think I'll take the chemistry work; you take the maths."

"What? You're better at all that calculation nonsense…"

Jamie watched them bicker for a bit before taking his leave and heading out of the dormitory. He'd work on the biology work for a bit, and see if he could also look around the library while he was at it.

* * *

Zoe was also managing to find success on her quest; Barbara was more than happy to compile a list of the missing items.

"I have every single report here in this file," she said, handing half of them to Zoe while looking over the rest herself. "Let's see… a gold medallion, a gold ring, my own gold necklace… Here's something odd—they left a jewel-encrusted silver pocket watch and took only the gold fob chain. I don't know why I didn't notice that before."

"It makes sense to me," Zoe admitted. "Gold is relatively easy to melt down and re-shape into something unrecognizable."

"Even so, you'd have expected them to take the watch, too…"

Zoe shrugged and went over her stack of reports.

"A gold coin, various gold medals earned in academic events…"

"Oh, yes; the ones in the trophy case…" Barbara sighed. "The thief had smashed the glass in the middle of the night; it was the first of all of these robberies. …And the Doctor thinks there's some link between these and the missing teachers?"

"Evidently so," Zoe said. "And his theory that they are all golden items seems to be true so far: gold bracelet, gold earrings—oh, those are Minerva's missing ones—Sandra's hairclip, more gold jewelry… They even took a dress with gold thread running through it. The Doctor's right! Every single one of these missing items had some amount of gold in it; that's the common link!"

"But they couldn't melt down the gold threads in cloth," Barbara pointed out. "Even if they tried to isolate the gold, there'd hardly be anything worth the effort. There's more to this than greed!"

"The Doctor definitely thinks there's more to it," Zoe said. "…He said that there were others in the universe who had their own views on gold."

"Well," the headmistress sighed. "I remember that the Doctor took us to a planet once called Vortis… There was a creature called the Animus that could control beings that were in contact with gold—I learned that all too well. In fact, when we landed, Ian's gold pen just… vanished from his hand."

"You think the Animus is here?" Zoe asked.

"…I don't know," Barbara admitted. "I used a Menoptera weapon to kill it. We thought I'd destroyed it—only to find out later that it was able to regrow itself from its remains. And, that time, we were _certain_ we destroyed it…"

"…But now you're not so certain that it really is dead?" Zoe finished.

"I don't know," Barbara confessed. "And I don't know how it could've found its way here, assuming it is the Animus. But the idea that the Animus is behind McNeil's disappearance makes some sort of horrible sense now; the Animus needed the gold to control him! …And after what I did to the Animus, it could very well be personal."

There was the sound of someone clearing his throat, and Barbara and Zoe both turned abruptly, relaxing when they saw that it was Jamie.

"Hello?" he offered.

"Hello, Jamie," Barbara said. "Is something the matter?

"No, I… I was on my way t' the library when I heard ye talking," Jamie admitted. "And I overheard something interesting."

"Yes, that everything missing does have some amount of gold in it?" Zoe asked. "And we have a possible suspect now—the Animus."

"I can understand why ye'd think that," the piper said. "But… it cannae possibly be the Animus."

"What makes you say that?" Barbara asked.

"I killed it." Jamie said, flatly. "Aye, well, more like I killed its next of kin. This was before ye joined us, Zoe—the Doctor and me and Victoria, we went to this Vortis place, and these Animus beasties were there—and the Doctor came up with this verra clever way that I could use some sort of projection to make this giant version of myself, so that I could fight them withoot actually coming into contact with them." He gave a proud grin. "Och, ye should've seen me oot there!"

"I'm sure you did very well," Barbara said, with a smile. "Of course, we can't eliminate the Animus completely as an option until we're sure it is something else."

"Aye, well, if it is the Animus again, ye just let me know, and I'll cleave that beastie before I even finish saying 'Creag an tuire!'"

"Yes, thank you, Jamie," Zoe said.

"Anytime. Oh, and Zoe? Can I take a wee peek at yer biology homework for a few minutes?"

"Of course not!" Zoe exclaimed. "You work on your homework yourself, like everyone else!"

Jamie made a face.

"I tell ye aboot my heroics in the face of the Animus, and this is the thanks I get…?" he muttered, as he left and continued to the library.

Barbara struggled not to laugh as Zoe sighed in exasperation.

"I tell you, sometimes, he's absolutely impossible!" she said. "And when he teams up with the Doctor, they're both just like that!"

"Keeps things interesting, I imagine," Barbara mused.

"Well, that's one way of putting it," Zoe said. "Was the Doctor like that when you were traveling with him?"

"He was impossible, but usually because of his stubbornness," Barbara admitted. "And I couldn't help but feel as though he always had a feeling of… looking for something he couldn't quite put his finger on. Sometimes, you go through life missing things, without even realizing that you're missing them. He had that feeling about him, and it only increased when his granddaughter stopped traveling with us. It's clear that the Doctor has gone through many changes since I last saw him, but not only has his appearance and personality changed… I think he finally found what he was looking for."

"What was that?" Zoe asked.

"You know what I think it was? A family."

Zoe pondered over this for a moment before nodding.

* * *

Down in the cellar, the Doctor and Ian were busy looking around. Ian had brought along a battery-operated lantern and the brightest torch he could find.

"Haven't you had time to bring in an electrician?" the Doctor asked.

"Multiple times," Ian said. "The problems started just before Murphy died. We kept bringing in the best electricians in, but the electricity here always seemed to be faulty, regardless of what they did."

"…Sabotage?"

"That was suspected right from the start," Ian said. "But we've never been able to prove it."

"Yes, well, I'm here now; perhaps that can change…" the Doctor mused.

"I see you're just as modest as ever…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Ian said.

The Doctor shrugged and now sniffed at the air as they headed further into the cellar. He paused, and then stuck the tip of his tongue out to taste the air.

"There's outside air coming in here," he said. The Doctor focused on the back wall, concealed by exposed piping. "Granted, it's not very clean air, but it's coming from back there…"

"I don't see how outside air could possibly be coming in through there," Ian said. "The wall is solid brick!"

"Is it? I wonder…" The Doctor crept closer, pausing in his tracks as he suddenly felt a small draft from above. "Hello, what's that? That tiny sliver of light?"

"I'm afraid you're mistaken…" Ian said.

"Am I? Turn off those lights you're carrying and look again."

"Alright, but I'm still convinced that you're…" Ian trailed off as he finally could see a small sliver of light. "It's tiny, but, it almost looks like three sides of a square. …Almost like a… trapdoor?"

"Exactly what I was thinking," the Doctor said. "What is the room that's directly above us?"

"The library," Ian said.

"I want to have a good look at that library floor," the Doctor declared. He turned around and headed back across the cellar, but the moment he looked back at the sliver of light, he paid for it as he stubbed his toe on one of the many stacks of boxes, causing the stack to topple over. The top box split open, spilling some of the old books onto the cellar floor.

Ian quickly turned the torch on as the Doctor cursed in Gallifreyan.

"Are you—?"

"I'm fine," the Doctor grumped. "Though I've upset these books, I'm afraid." He sighed and picked one up—only to have something small fall from within the pages. "Hello, what's this?"

The Doctor picked up the small object as Ian shone the torchlight onto it. Even in the dim light, it glittered.

"That's… that's Barbara's missing necklace!" Ian exclaimed. "But how…?"

Silently, the Doctor opened the book it had fallen from, revealing a depression cut into the pages to store the necklace. He opened a second book, and a gold ring gleamed from within another depression.

"I don't believe it," Ian said. "Do you mean to tell me that the thief stored the stolen items right under our noses?"

"So it would seem."

"Rather risky, isn't it?" Ian mused, as more gold was uncovered with every book that he and the Doctor opened. "We could have had these books hauled away for recycling at any moment. We'd been meaning to, but between all of the goings-on last term, it wasn't considered a priority."

"Maybe they didn't care about them being hauled away," the Doctor murmured to himself. "Maybe they were even counting on it…"

"I'm afraid I can't begin to understand what you're talking about," Ian said.

"I'm not entirely sure myself," the Doctor admitted. "Look, you go and tell Barbara that we've found most, if not all, of the missing items, but don't let any of the other students and teachers know. I'll tell Jamie and Zoe at the earliest convenience; right now, I want to know why there's an apparent trapdoor leading to that library."

"Right," Ian said, gathering the spilled items and heading upstairs. "Good luck, and be careful."

"Of course."

The Doctor cast a glance at the apparent trapdoor, memorizing its location before heading up, as well, and entering the library. He was surprised to see the piper working on some homework at the table.

"Jamie?"

"Doctor!" the Scot exclaimed, equally surprised to see him there. "What are ye doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question; I thought I'd given you a little assignment of my own…"

"Aye, ye did; in fact, that lead me here," Jamie said, he looked around, making sure they were alone; it was after hours and the librarian had gone. Fortunately, there were no other students in the library, either. "This was where Luke last spoke to Murphy before he was found dead in the cellar. Luke even said that Murphy seemed afraid of the floor here, for some unknown reason."

"Is _that_ so…?" the Doctor said, his eyes narrowing. "Well, I think I might have found a reason why he had been afraid of the floor."

"Ye found oot something in the cellar?" Jamie asked.

"Yes; for one thing, the cellar is right under this room," the Doctor informed him. "At first I thought it might have been a coincidence, but now after what you told me… Things are beginning to come together, moreso now that Ian and I found the missing items down there, as well."

"What!?" Jamie exclaimed, surprised. "But there was nothing down there but boxes of old books!"

"The valuables were stored in little holes cut inside the books," the Doctor said. "If I hadn't knocked them over by accident, we probably wouldn't have even thought to look in there."

"Och, I _knew_ there should have been cobwebs on those boxes! I e'en told Zoe that, and she e'en agreed!" Jamie fumed. He calmed down. "Aye, well… Ye're here to inspect the floor, then? Can I help ye? I was meaning to look around myself, but I thought I should finish this junk first."

"Your biology homework?" the Doctor asked.

"Aye. Zoe wouldnae let me copy hers."

The Doctor chuckled quietly.

"I'm so glad ye're enjoying this…" the piper muttered

"Chin up, Jamie; it's only been your first day of school," the Doctor said. "You keep at it; I'll look around and let you know what I find."

"Aye…" Jamie said, going back to his work as the Doctor now began to inspect the floor between two of the many shelves of books. "Barbara thinks that the Animus could be behind this—the gold and things. I told her we got rid of it when we went to Vortis, but I don' think she was convinced."

"To be fair, that thing did come back after we thought we'd stopped it," the Doctor said, with a frown, as he began to prod the floor with the sonic screwdriver. "And then I went back with you and Victoria to find that another one had taken its place. Sometimes, it takes a lot to get things to finally stop. "

"So ye think it might be the Animus, too?"

"It's a possible suspect, but the gold being hidden in the books has me thinking of something else…"

Jamie was just about to ask what the Doctor was suspecting when, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something large and silver. He turned his head briefly to see a tall, metal man standing at the end of the row of shelves.

He had seen this creature before—and multiple times, at that. The first time, he had been convinced that it was the Phantom Piper, harbinger of death. It was no phantom, of course, but it was deadly nonetheless.

Even as Jamie's breath hitched at the sight of the familiar foe, he saw the metal man give the bookshelf closest to it a strong shove. Slowly, the shelf tilted into the next, which tilted into the next, setting off a chain reaction—with the unsuspecting Doctor to be caught right in the middle of it.

"Jamie?" the Doctor asked, oblivious to the threat to his life and only seeing the piper's horrified expression. "Jamie, what—?"

Jamie had leaped from the table and practically lunged into a flying leap, tackling the Doctor to the ground.

The Doctor had been momentarily infuriated that the piper had tackled him for the second time that day, but annoyance soon turned to fear as he quickly realized what was happening, on account of the tipping shelves reaching them. Thinking quickly, the Doctor hastily flipped around so that he was able to act as a living shield, determined to protect the piper as the heavy books rained down upon them and as the shelf descended.


	5. The Council

Back in her office, Barbara was marveling at the gold items that Ian had brought to show her—and Zoe, who was still there—what he and the Doctor had found.

"I presume the rest of it is down there," he said. "I think we ought to recover the items and keep them safe, but the Doctor wants it to be quiet."

"If that's the case, then don't you think we should ask the Doctor if we should move them at all?" Barbara asked.

"Yes, perhaps we should…" Ian admitted.

"Where is he, anyway?" Zoe asked.

"In the library; we think we saw a trapdoor between the cellar and the library, and he wanted to look into it," Ian informed them. "We might as well go and help while we ask him what to do."

The three of them were heading towards the library when they suddenly heard the loud, repeated crashing of the shelves falling over.

"What is that!?" Zoe exclaimed.

"I don't know, but it doesn't sound good," Ian said. "And it's coming from the library!"

The three exchanged glances for a split-second before bolting down the corridor; Ian practically yanked the door open. Immediately, the sight of the toppled shelves greeted them—each leaning against the others, with only a small gap at the bases of each one.

"Doctor!?" Zoe called. "Jamie!?"

Ian and Barbara were already checking each gap; Ian quickly shined a flashlight in each gap.

"Here they are!" he exclaimed.

"Doctor!? Jamie!?" Barbara called, as Zoe quickly knelt next to them.

"I'm alright…!" Jamie said, his voice muffled. "I don' know aboot the Doctor; he won' answer me!"

"Hold on; we're going to get the both of you out!" Ian said. "Are either of you pinned down?"

"I don' think so!"

"Can you tell how badly the Doctor is hurt?" Barbara asked. "I'd be afraid to move him if it was anything too serious."

"I think he's just knocked oot," Jamie said. "He's breathing and all that; he was shielding me from the books as they were falling. I cannae reach into his pockets, otherwise I'd get his smelling salts."

Ian looked to Barbara, who nodded.

"Alright, Jamie; we're going to get the Doctor out first," Ian said. "Just stay calm; you'll be next."

"Aye."

Zoe stayed close by as Ian and Barbara slowly worked their arms in, grasping the Doctor's ankles. Slowly, they pulled him out from under the bookshelf.

"How is he?" Jamie asked.

"Other than a few bruises, I think he's fine," said Barbara, checking him. "I think we can relax."

"His smelling salts should be in his left trouser pocket!" Jamie said.

"I'll tend to Jamie; you wake up the Doctor," Ian said to Barbara.

After a bit of searching, Barbara found the smelling salts; Zoe held the Doctor's head up as Barbara held the small bottle near his nose.

The Doctor coughed as he came around, his aquamarine eyes blinking a few times before they suddenly widened.

"Jamie—!" he exclaimed, sitting bolt upright before clutching at his dizzy head. "Oh, my giddy aunt…"

"Don't try to get up yet," Barbara instructed, gently guiding him back into a supine position.

"But… Jamie…"

"Ian's getting him; he's conscious and was talking to us," Barbara assured him.

"Probably because you were shielding him," Zoe said, quietly.

The Doctor didn't calm down, however, until Ian had successfully helped Jamie out from under the bookshelf and the piper was by his side again.

"Oh, thank goodness…" the Doctor sighed, gently grasping the piper's wrist.

"Yes, thank goodness you're _both_ alright," Barbara said. "But what on Earth happened here?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," the Doctor said. "Jamie suddenly pulled me to the floor as the shelves started falling—only I'd had no idea what was going on. If it hadn't been for him, you'd have been seeing yet another different Doctor."

Ian and Barbara exchanged a baffled glance.

"It's a trait among the Doctor's people," Zoe explained. "Apparently, if their bodies die, they can rewrite their cells and get a new body—or so he told me and Jamie once. It's akin to a lizard regrowing a lost tail; only here, it applies to the whole body."

"Only works a limited number of times," the Doctor grumbled. "Everything is different—personality, looks… the only things we retain are our memories—though they are sometimes temporarily affected after the process…"

"Are you saying that… after we left you, you died?" Barbara asked, horrified at the implications.

"Well… yes," the Doctor admitted. "I don't do well in the cold, you see, and between the awful cold and facing off against these creatures known as Cybermen—"

"Cybermen!" Jamie suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to stare at him. He had been so worried over the Doctor and relieved that he had been alright that he had completely forgotten about the perpetrator until hearing them being mentioned. "Doctor, it was a Cyberman who did this to us!"

"What…!?"

"I saw a Cyberman push the first shelf over—that caused the chain reaction and brought the other ones down!"

The Doctor now struggled to sit up again; this time, Barbara let him, though both she and Jamie helped to steady him.

"Well, that accounts for the missing gold…" the Gallifreyan said. He turned to Barbara. "They're weak to it, you see. They probably wanted to make sure all of the gold was gone so that they wouldn't meet with any resistance that they couldn't handle."

"Resistance against what!?" Ian exclaimed. "What do they want!?"

"In a simple word, they want all of the humans to be converted, just like them," the Doctor said. "They were once human themselves; only, one by one, they lost all trace of humanity—becoming metal beings with no emotions. Somehow, they think that they've reached perfection that way, and believe that all humans must reach that same level of perfection, as well."

"And you believe they may have had a hand in McNeil's disappearance?" Ian asked. "Did they… _convert_ him?"

"It's likely that they did take him to work for them—whether willingly or through conversion," the Doctor said. "Knowing the Cybermen, it was likely the latter; McNeil would've been frightened out of his wits, and the Cybermen certainly would've had no patience for that. I'm sure Murphy's death was at the hands of the Cybermen, as well—they left him in the cellar to make it look like an accident—just like they tried to make an 'accident' happen to me. They've been up to something since last term, and they want it kept quiet—though, knowing their kind, it's easy to guess what they want."

"They will _not_ carry on with it any further," Barbara vowed. "I will not allow it."

"Admirable sentiments, my dear Barbara, but I'm afraid it's going to take more than sheer determination to stop them," the Doctor said. "We must call Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart of UNIT right away."

"Yes; he helped us deal with the last Cyberman invasion," Zoe added. "…That's probably how they ended up here; the ones here must have been survivors from UNIT's last assault."

"And what can we do to protect the students and staff until this Brigadier arrives here?" Barbara asked.

"If we return everyone's gold possessions, it'll only make them secure them away somewhere unreachable instead of keeping them handy as a defense against the Cybermen," the Doctor predicted. "That just won't do."

"Are the Cybermen weak to anything else?" Ian asked.

"Aye, cleaning fluid!" Jamie exclaimed. "That's what we used when they attacked the Moonbase!"

"That, we can manage," Barbara said, thinking it over for a moment. "I can instruct that cleaning fluid placed in every room and dormitory, under some pretext of keeping rooms clean for inspection."

"And if I can get to a telephone, I can call the Brigadier myself," the Doctor said, now attempting to get to his feet.

Jamie and Ian immediately got up and grabbed one of the Doctor's arms as he nearly stumbled.

"Perhaps we'd better go with you," Ian suggested, as Jamie merely clung to the Doctor's arm.

"Yes, perhaps that… that would be helpful…" the Doctor admitted. "At least until the dizziness wears off…"

Barbara sighed to herself as they left, and then turned back to see Zoe staring blankly at the toppled shelves.

"Zoe?"

"We could've lost them both," Zoe said, quietly. "If that shelf hadn't fallen exactly the way it had, they could've been killed." She turned to Barbara with a matter-of-fact expression. "The Cybermen probably went after the Doctor because he had found the gold in the cellar. We should go down and get it before it's moved—or destroyed."

"Yes, perhaps you're right. We shall have to move it to a place where the Cybermen can't get in," Barbara said.

"The TARDIS," Zoe said. "The Doctor said that no one can force their way the TARDIS without a key—no matter how hard they try."

"Ian and I did, though the Doctor did have a key; we just barged in when he tried to unlock…" Barbara began, but she trailed off as she saw Zoe tremble slightly as they left the library and headed to the cellar, taking care to make sure they were alone. "Zoe, are you alright?"

"Of course I'm alright. I wasn't the one in any danger, after all," Zoe said, surprised at the query.

"As you said, things could have turned out very badly; it's alright for you to be upset."

"…Is it?" Zoe bit her lip. "Is it also alright to be afraid? Because I am—quite afraid, actually."

"You hide it well."

"I was never very good at showing any emotions at all," Zoe admitted. "In fact, before the Doctor found me, I… wasn't feeling things at all."

"…I see," Barbara said. She and Zoe began to gather the gold items from their hiding places, but Barbara still listened intently to Zoe.

"The Cybermen were involved in things when I met the Doctor and Jamie," Zoe continued. "And as I saw them, I realized that there would've been very little for them to do if they'd tried to convert me. I didn't want to be emotionless like them, and it bothered me a lot to hear people say that I was 'all brain and no heart.' And even though people called me that, they didn't bother enough to try to help me feel things."

"Was there no one you could turn to?" Barbara asked. "Anyone at all in your family, or a friend?"

"I never knew my family," Zoe admitted. "When word got around that I was incredibly intelligent for an infant, people from the state went to my parents, saying that they wanted to raise me as part of the Elite Programme—it was meant to be a way to enhance my intelligence even further. They gave me up—as I understand it, for considerable monetary compensation based upon my earnings. My intelligence was perfected, but I was raised alone, surrounded by books and tutors. It was all about what my intelligence was capable of, but no one cared about _me_—not until…"

"…Until the Doctor found you?" Barbara finished, gently.

"I wanted to change, and the Doctor believed that I could change," Zoe said. "I knew I had to go with him and Jamie, or else I'd have no chance of escaping this… prison that I was trapped in. And I was right. I love traveling with the Doctor and Jamie—I've learned so many things, including about my own emotions. I still have a lot to learn, but I've made so much progress. I'm happy."

"I'm very glad to hear that, Zoe," Barbara said, sincerely. "The Doctor and Jamie clearly think highly of you, as well."

"But now the Cybermen are here and could spoil it all," Zoe added. "I don't want anything to happen to them—or to you and Ian."

"And we don't want anything to happen to you, either," Barbara said. "And that's why the others are calling this Brigadier while you and I secure the gold."

"Yes," Zoe said. "Hopefully, between the gold and UNIT, we won't have anymore trouble from those Cybermen." She continued to help gather the gold before turning back to Barbara. "Thank you, by the way—for talking with me."

"Anytime, Zoe," the headmistress assured her, with a smile.

Zoe smiled back, and the two of them continued to secure the gold, hoping that this would soon be over.


	6. The Elite

_Notes: I don't really have the time to do a separate Valentine's Day fic, so have a chapter where love is a central theme for most of it. …Then again, love and devotion are central themes for all of my fics, when you really think about it_.

* * *

For Barbara, it had been four years since she had seen the interior of the TARDIS, but as Zoe unlocked the doors and led the way into the console room, the headmistress had to pause and take in the familiar surroundings.

"Oh, it hasn't changed one bit!" she breathed.

The console whirred, as though greeting Barbara.

Zoe smiled.

"You've missed the TARDIS, haven't you?"

"Well, it was home for two years," Barbara said. "You don't forget about that so quickly."

"Yes, I know what you mean," Zoe admitted. "I've only been here for a year myself, and I can't imagine ever leaving." She placed her half the gold that they had gathered—now secure in strongboxes—beside the console. "That ought to do it; we should keep them here, in case we'll need to retrieve them quickly."

"Yes, you're right," Barbara agreed. She placed her strongboxes beside the ones Zoe had placed, but she was also holding onto her gold chain that Ian had recovered. "…I think I might feel safer wearing this, actually."

"Do be careful; you don't want it getting stolen again," Zoe said.

"Yes, I know," Barbara agreed. "But what I don't understand is how the Cybermen were able to steal the things in the first place without being seen. No one has reported seeing a metal being."

"…I suppose that's something else we'll have to figure out," Zoe said. "Well, shall we go back and join the others?"

Barbara looked around the console room again.

"…Actually, Zoe, if you don't mind, I think I would like to stay for a little longer. I'd hate for you to walk back alone with the Cybermen about, though; if you really wish to go back, we can—"

"It's alright," Zoe said. "I feel much more at home here than in the dormitory anyway. Oh, there's nothing wrong with it; it's just that I've never stayed in one before. I've got my own room here, and there are so many books in the library!"

"Oh, yes; I've seen that library many times," Barbara said, as they headed down the corridor that led from the console room. She paused as she picked up a cricket ball that was still lying in the corridor.

"You learn to ignore some of the sillier things that go on here," Zoe said, with a knowing look. "Though I expect you know that already."

"Actually, silly things didn't happen as often during my time aboard the TARDIS," Barbara admitted, as they continued down the corridor. "We had our moments, of course—had a lovely snowball fight on one occasion, in fact. At the same time, though, 'silly' is never a word I would've ever associated with the Doctor I knew."

"How would you have described him?" Zoe asked.

"Well, Zoe, you have to understand one thing—people change. Different things change them. The Doctor I first met was nothing like the one I knew two years later. When Ian and I first met him, he was cold—cruel, even; he didn't trust anyone. He only seemed to care about his granddaughter and the TARDIS, and because Ian and I 'intruded,' he kidnapped us and took us through time and space. He certainly didn't think too much of Ian and myself; he dismissed us as primitives at first, and, one time, when something had gone wrong with the TARDIS, he blamed the both of us for trying to sabotage the controls and threatened to throw us off."

"That doesn't seem possible…" Zoe said.

"I told you, Zoe; he changed so much in the two years I knew him," Barbara said. "After that incident, in fact, when we actually found out what had happened to the TARDIS, he started to become so much warmer. It truly is incredible; he could barely stand humans at one point, and now… he would have been ready to crawl back under those bookshelves to find Jamie if Ian hadn't gotten him out there himself. He looks at the both of you with so much love; it goes back to what I said before—about him finding a family. You and Jamie are helping him in innumerable ways."

"…I never really gave much thought to that," Zoe admitted. "All this time, I thought he was doing us a favor by letting us stay. After all the trouble we get into, it's rather difficult to consider that we're actually helping him."

"Oh, you are, Zoe. You are."

Zoe mulled over this as they continued to walk around the TARDIS for a while. Barbara decided that they had best get back before the others began to worry, and so the two left the TARDIS and returned to the school.

They met Ian, Jamie, and the Doctor in the corridor; the Doctor looked as though he had recovered slightly from his ordeal.

"The Brigadier will be here in an hour with a few others," the Doctor said. "I didn't want to explain too many things over the phone in case the Cybermen somehow are monitoring the communications."

"Good," Barbara said. "We'll meet in my office."

"Do ye want me and Zoe to be there?" Jamie asked.

The Doctor gave him a long look, which Jamie countered with a long look back. The Time Lord then chuckled and ruffled the piper's hair.

"I don't suppose it matters what I want; I daresay the both of you will find your way to that meeting regardless."

"Aye," Jamie promised. "I'll see ye in an hour, then."

"Where are you going?" the Doctor asked.

"I have t' finish that maddening homework!" Jamie muttered.

"Oh, Jamie, I'd rather you didn't go back to that library—not with those Cybermen about!"

"Aye, I know; I'm just going to get the books and papers I left; I'm going back t' my dormitory and work on it there."

The Doctor still didn't look thrilled to hear this, but he was still slightly shaky on his feet and couldn't chase after him; Barbara gave Ian a nudge.

"I can go with him, Doctor," Ian said, catching on.

"Would you, please?" the Doctor said.

Jamie looked as though he was ready to protest that he wasn't a child who needed minding, but he decided against arguing, fearing that his privileges to join the meeting might be revoked.

"I think I'll go to my dormitory as well," Zoe said.

"Aren't you finished with your work?" the Doctor asked.

"Oh, yes," Zoe agreed. "But I do want to try to appear like a normal, friendly person to Sandra and Minerva. Perhaps I shall have a chat with them."

"Oh, good idea!" the Doctor said. "Just remember—no dropping any hints about the future!"

"Right," Zoe said, as she headed off.

"And no detours!" the Doctor called after her. He winced, placing a hand on the back of his head, which had hurt upon raising his voice.

"I wish I could get you something for your headache, but all we've got on hand is aspirin," Barbara said. "I know Susan once said she was deathly allergic to it; I assume that applies to you."

"Yes; unfortunately, it is extremely toxic to us," the Doctor sighed. "Even the salicylic acid in normal plant foods can be too much."

"And yet, you keep aspirin in the medicine chest in the TARDIS," Barbara reminded him. "I offered it once to Vicki."

"Yes, well… Initially, Susan and I kept that in the event we were ever followed by someone unpleasant from our home planet—a last resort to escape them, if running didn't work," the Doctor explained. "Now, of course, I keep it for Jamie and Zoe; I'm quite confident in saying that they would never attempt to poison me." He gave Barbara a wan smile.

"Of course not; they love you far too much for that," Barbara said. "Just as you love them. I was telling Zoe how remarkable it is that you've come to be so compassionate for humans, considering where you started."

"Yes, and that's your fault!" the Doctor teased.

"Ian's, too!"

"Yes, Ian's, too…" the Time Lord said. A look of sadness crossed his features. "I am grateful to the two of you opening my mind. But humans are so transient. You get close to them, and before you know it… it's time to say goodbye."

"I know you were hurt when we wanted to leave," Barbara said. "It wasn't that we weren't happy—"

"I know; Ian explained it to me already," the Doctor said, with an understanding smile. "You wanted stability, and you deserved it. It wasn't something I could successfully give to you. Or to Vicki. Not even to my own granddaughter…"

"But it _is_ something that you're able to give to Jamie and Zoe," Barbara reminded him. "I was telling Zoe that you look at them both with so much love, and they look at you with the same amount of love."

"Barbara," the Time Lord said, gently. "I am over 450 years old. And I am currently slated to live another eleven more lives after this one ends."

The headmistress stared at him for a moment, stunned at the revelation of his age, before realizing the implications of his statement.

"I see…"

"I can only look after Jamie and Zoe for so long. I dread the day when I shall have to say goodbye to them… one way or another," the Doctor said.

"Don't talk like that," Barbara chided him. "Aside from the fact that they have a great many years left, you can't let the fear of losing them keep you from loving them."

"I wouldn't dream of it," the Doctor promised. "I could never push them away; I wouldn't be able to stand it anymore than they could. But I can't stop from worrying, now can I?"

"You sound just like any other human right now," Barbara said.

"That's reassuring."

"Just do the very best you can for them, Doctor," she continued. "You know that's all they would ask of you."

"I wish it was possible to give more than one's best."

"There are people we met in our lives that make us feel that way," Barbara agreed. "And that's when you know that they are the most important ones in your life."

The Doctor looked at her, questioningly.

"Ian?" he asked.

"…Yes."

There was an awkward silence.

"Tell me, Doctor," Barbara said, after some time. "This Brigadier—do you think he can help us?"

"Undoubtedly; he was of great help the last time the Cybermen invaded London. You might recall that time when everyone in the city was incapacitated after hearing a horrible screeching sound?"

"Those were the Cybermen?" Barbara asked. "That all occurred several months ago, and then this trouble started here last term…"

"Survivors of the invasion, of course," the Doctor sighed. "It was too much to hope that they would've _all_ been eliminated." He paused. "…I know that you and Ian taught me that it is a horrible thing to kill indiscriminately, but you have to understand that with the danger that the Cybermen represent—"

"Of course I know the difference between what is unnecessary and necessary," Barbara said. "I've seen the Daleks—they kill indiscriminately, and, because of that, we had to strike back against them. If the Cybermen are the same way, then I will understand completely and allow you and the Brigadier to do what you must—on one condition."

"Which is…?"

"You will _not_ put any of my students at risk—not even for a moment," Barbara insisted. "As much as I trust you and your judgment, I, as headmistress, cannot allow my students to be used as bait for these monsters."

"Understood."

"This also extends to withholding or twisting any information that might guarantee my students' protection," Barbara added. "And you will make this very clear to the Brigadier. Can I have your guarantee?"

"My dear Barbara, do remember that Jamie and Zoe are among the students. My time with them is short; why would I risk it being shorter than it already is?"

Barbara nodded, satisfied, and then her expression softened.

"All the same, I do want to thank you again for coming and helping us," she said. "Don't ever think that I'm not grateful. Actually, before all this happened, Ian and I considered many times using the number that Susan gave us just to talk to you."

"What stopped you?"

"We were never sure that you wanted to hear from us again. How would it have felt for you to hear us over the phone, out of the blue?"

"I'd have been surprised—pleasantly, though," the Doctor said. "Once this is all over, don't wait so long. I've often wondered what had happened to the two of you. I'd like to know what else happens in that great saga of your lives."

"Regardless of what it is, this will hopefully be the last thing that involves monsters of any kind," Barbara said.

"I know how much peace and stability mean to you," the Doctor said, kindly. "I hope your wish comes true."

Whatever reply Barbara had was forgotten as Ian arrived.

"Nothing in the library now," Ian informed them. "Jamie has gone back to his dormitory; there isn't much left to do but wait for the Brigadier."

"That's enough for now," the Doctor said. "We've made quite a lot of progress in one day. With a bit of luck, we could have this settled within the week."

"…You'll be leaving after that?" Barbara asked.

The Doctor looked back at her and at Ian.

"Well, that was the original intent," the Doctor said. He paused, realizing that the conversation had just turned in an even more awkward direction. "If you'll excuse me, please."

The Doctor shuffled off to the staff room, leaving the two of them to exchange glances with each other.

* * *

Jamie had a bit of explaining to do as to why he had gone back to the dormitory with the work unfinished; he quickly explained that there had been an accident with the shelves, and he hadn't wanted to stick around after that. Luke and Percival were satisfied with that explanation, and the three of them continued with their homework while Jamie idly wondered whether he should tell Percival that he was right all along about the aliens being behind everything. In the end, he decided against it, and instead focused on finishing the biology work, which he did and left the results for the others to copy.

"Where are you going?" Luke asked.

"I want to see if they've cleaned up the library at all," Jamie lied. "Aye, I'll see ye in a bit."

Zoe, too, found herself making excuses to leave Sandra and Minerva; she managed to convince them that there was something she wanted to check on with the physics lesson and headed down to Barbara's office.

She hadn't been expecting anyone to surprise her in the corridor, and let out a slight squeal of fright as someone surprised her. Her look of surprise changed to one of annoyance as the person turned out to be Reginald.

"What?" she asked, frowning.

"I wanted to apologize for coming across as so common this morning," Reginald said. "I understand that my first impressions were rather pitiful."

"That's putting it mildly," Zoe agreed.

"They were telling me of the new student who had completed the mock physics exam faster than I ever could have done; you understand why I was intrigued, of course. We rarely find others of our own kind."

"…Our… kind…?"

"The intellectual elite," Reginald explained.

"…Oh."

"I never did fully introduce myself," he added, extending a hand. "Reginald Klieg."

"Zoe Heriot," she replied, giving his hand a quick shake. "Look, if it's all the same to you, I really must be going—"

"Yes, of course; I know that time is highly prized by our kind," Reginald said. "Although I do wish to meet with you to talk about logic and science at some point in the near future."

"I'm sure I would if the situation presented itself, but I expect to be very busy in the near future," Zoe said, now feeling decidedly uncomfortable. "I want to keep ahead with my studies, if you don't mind."

"Again, understandable. I wouldn't have expected you to agree so rapidly to random socialization; I know that such emotional decadence is something that we gave up in exchange for our great gifts," Reginald said. "Someday, though, I wish to develop a way to bring our kind together, with no need for such emotional frivolity: a way that gifted youngsters would be raised with no emotional attachment—only logic—to grow into brilliant scientists and mathematicians who could work together and make advancements to society. It would be a program for the intellectual elite."

"Yes, I'm sure it would be—" Zoe stopped in midsentence as the implications hit her like a ton of bricks. "…A program for the intellectual elite?"

"Yes—an elite program that would give the world what it truly needs. We don't need musicians or painters, do we? No, we need to nurture our kind; I will be doing a favor to all of us."

"The Elite Programme…" Zoe murmured, not hearing him.

"Yes," Reginald said, clearly proud of his idea. "It will be a revolutionary idea, and many will benefit from it. …But I see that I am taking up your time. I shan't trouble you any further."

He inclined his head in a slight, polite bow and strode off down the corridor, oblivious to the look of stunned horror on Zoe's face.

She had just been face to face with the obvious eventual founder of the Elite Programme—the very same program that had taken her from her parents and robbed her of a normal childhood.

The revelation was a startling one, and one that was releasing a flood of new emotions within her—emotions that she had never felt before. There was anger; she had seen if before, seeing Jamie get furious at various beasties, but she had never felt it herself until this very moment.

But it wasn't just anger; there was something even deeper. For the first time in her life, Zoe knew what true loathing was.

And oh, how she loathed Reginald Klieg for the misery he had put her through—and having the gall to think that he had been doing her a favor!

Zoe now inhaled and exhaled, forcing herself to calm down. The surge of negative emotions had been just as startling as the facts that had caused them. Her problems could wait, she decided; they had to deal with the Cybermen first, and make sure that everyone else was safe.

With a sigh, Zoe continued down the corridor towards Barbara's office, her mind still muddled.

The Doctor had warned her before about fixed points and the dangers of changing time in relation to one's own past or known future. She had also heard the Doctor give that very same lecture to Jamie—and it hadn't been the first time he had heard it, apparently. Zoe knew how time travel worked.

Despite that, Zoe was unable to silence the tiny voice in the back of her mind suggesting that as long as she was in 1969, perhaps there was something she could do to ensure that the suffering she had endured could be changed.

After all, she rationalized, she was only human.


	7. The Cavalry

Zoe was still very upset once she reached Barbara's office; she fought to keep her expression neutral, however, as she opened the door. Inside, Jamie and the Doctor were talking to the Brigadier and Benton, along with Ian and Barbara. There were a few more UNIT soldiers in the room, and someone with them who waved to Zoe with a broad grin and a camera around her neck.

"Isobel!?" Zoe exclaimed, now cheering up immensely.

"Hello, Zoe," the photographer said. "I was hoping that I'd see you again after those two showed up here." She indicated the Doctor and Jamie.

"I certainly am glad to see you here!" Zoe said. "Are you officially working for UNIT now?"

"Yes! I am the official field photographer; they liked the work I did during the last Cybermen invasion. …As I understand it, we're in the middle of another one?" Isobel asked. "The Doctor's been explaining things."

"Yes, that's right…" Zoe said.

They both fell silent as the Doctor continued with his report.

"…And that's what's been going on here," he finished.

"We were hoping that you could provide my students with some protection from the Cybermen," Barbara added.

"If that is the course of action we decide upon, I can assure you that UNIT will protect the students to the best of our ability," the Brigadier said.

"…If?" Barbara said. "I would think that there is no 'if' about it; that is most certainly the course of action to take!"

"Miss Wright, you have to understand that we need to attack the Cybermen from a tactical standpoint," the Brigadier said. "Our very presence on the premises could cause them to either force their hand and attack immediately, or force them to go into hiding further. The entire city will be at risk if they get out among London."

"My main concern is for the students," Barbara said. "Their chances against these creatures will be bleak without your help—help that I was assured you would provide." She gave the Doctor an accusatory look.

The Time Lord cleared his throat, knowing that he would be in trouble if he didn't keep the promise he had made earlier.

"Brigadier, I think we need to accept that the youth in this building will be the most at risk," he said. "The Cybermen won't be so quick to flee and attempt to seek out new targets when they know the young minds will be the easiest to convert. They've clearly been here since last term, learning the students' habits and locations. I expect that they will start with the students, then move on to the teachers, and then spread all throughout England until the entire population—including you—will be converted."

"Over my dead body!" the Brigadier countered back. He turned to Barbara. "Very well; we shall focus our attentions here, and immediately."

Barbara gave the Doctor a look of approval; the Doctor merely responded with a look of relief.

"Doctor, are ye seriously afraid of her?" Jamie asked, whispering into the Gallifreyan's ear.

"She once ran over a Dalek with a truck and impersonated an Aztec goddess; I'm no fool," the Doctor murmured back.

Jamie's eyes widened in amazement.

"Before we station the men, I do want us to have a look at both the cellar and the library," the Brigadier said. "If those were where the Cybermen were seen, we may find a hint as to how they got into the school in the first place. Miss Wright, can I ask you to guide the men here to the library?"

"Yes, of course," she said. "We shall have to move quickly; the students will be leaving their dormitories to get supper, whether in the school or in one of the nearby eateries. I'd rather not have to explain to them what's been going on; as much as they need protection, I don't want them to start panicking."

"We'll work as quickly as we can," the Brigadier assured her. "Benton will be in charge of the men; you can relay any instructions to him. And, Benton?"

"Sir?"

"Keep a record of what you find, and be sure to call for reinforcements afterwards."

"Yes, Sir," the corporal said, saluting him and then turning to Barbara with a nod.

Pleased with the developments, Barbara now led Benton and the men out of the office and towards the library.

"I wanted to thank you for responding on such short notice," she said.

"We're just glad we could intervene before any of the students got hurt," Benton said. "I am sorry we were too late to help those physics teachers."

"I should have called the Doctor last term itself," Barbara agreed, with a sigh.

"Better late than never, if you don't mind my saying," Benton added.

The headmistress smiled, but her smile faded as she opened the door to the library and saw someone walking around the fallen shelves. She cleared her throat, prompting the person to turn around.

"Reginald Klieg," she chided. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, Headmistress; I wanted to see if the rumors were true," Reginald said. "About the silver men causing all this damage."

"…Where did you hear about that?"

"One of the boys in the dormitory mentioned it—the new Scottish fellow."

"At this point in time, they are just rumors," Barbara insisted. "What happened here was an accident. I would trust that you, at least, would know better than to believe everything you hear."

"I do, Headmistress," Reginald said. "That was why I came here, after all—to verify the facts."

"At this point, I want the library off limits to students until these military engineers can certify that it is safe," Barbara fibbed. "Please leave."

"Yes, Headmistress."

He left without any argument. Barbara sighed to herself.

"I shall have to have a word with Jamie about his discretion," she said.

Benton wanted to comment that Jamie didn't seem like the type to be so careless, but he decided against in and, instead, began to inspect the room with the other UNIT soldiers as Barbara watched.

* * *

In the meantime, the Doctor, the Brigadier, Jamie, Ian, Zoe, and Isobel were searching the cellar for any signs of the Cybermen.

"It's clear that they've been here," the Doctor said. "And that they've been using that trapdoor up there to get to the library—and, from there, anywhere else in the school they desire to go."

"My question is how they got into this cellar in the first place," the Brigadier said. He turned to Ian. "You are absolutely certain that there was only one door leading here, which was kept locked?"

"Yes," Ian said.

"Aye, but Zoe and I proved that it wasnae difficult to pick the lock," Jamie reminded them.

"Yes, it's highly possible that anyone could have been wandering around down here, especially after the investigations from last term ended," Zoe said.

"And those Cybermen don't leave fingerprints," the Brigadier muttered. "Very well; we shall just have to work with what we've got."

"Which is…?" Isobel prompted.

"Well, earlier today, I was noticing a draft coming from near some exposed piping back there," the Doctor said, pointing towards the far wall.

"I'm feeling it, too," Zoe said, as she walked over there. "I guess I didn't notice it earlier because the Doctor startled us."

"Yes, there's definitely a draft here…" Ian said, climbing over the pipes. "It's as though something's wrong with the mortar between some of the bricks—"

Ian had placed his hands up against the wall, and, with a yelp, fell through as a section of wall gave way.

"Well done; you've found the Cybermen's point of entry," the Brigadier said, shining a flashlight over Ian's head. "This opens up to one of the sewer lines."

"The Cybermen must have escaped your men by forcing themselves in here," the Doctor said, helping Ian up.

"Of course; and the other physics teachers must have seen them!" Zoe said. "So they were dealt with accordingly in order for the Cybermen to maintain the secret of their hideout here."

"Aye, and after UNIT was done searching the sewers, they went back, and still used this opening to sneak into the school," Jamie finished.

"Well, that answers a lot of questions," the Brigadier said, pleased by the findings. "But it doesn't answer why the physics teachers—and only the physics teachers—ended up seeing the Cybermen."

"It also doesn't explain the gold," the Doctor added. "The Cybermen can't even touch the gold, you see. They'd have had to have someone else take it for them."

"McNeil?" Ian wondered.

"Possibly; they could have converted him and had him take the gold," the Doctor said. "But it is rather risky; the gold could have undone his own conversion if any nervous implants were used. And as the Brigadier pointed out, it's… interesting that only the physics teachers were affected. I wouldn't say it was a conspiracy against those in the position, but it could be a result of them being easily accessible to someone on the inside."

"…You don't think someone's been helping the Cybermen, do you?" Ian asked. "I mean… _willingly_ helping the Cybermen? Who would do such a foolish thing? And why, if they saw what was happening to Murphy and then McNeil?"

"You would be surprised how foolish your kind can get," the Doctor said.

"Aye, there were those mad chappies on Telos—and that lassie, too—who thought that they could use the Cybermen for the Brotherhood of the Logicians," Jamie said. "They thought that the Cybermen were the perfect lifeforms and wanted to work with them for their own personal gain."

"…Brotherhood of the Logicians?" Zoe asked.

"Yes," the Doctor said. "Does that name ring any bells?"

"Yes; I've heard them mentioned before. They were the monetary sponsors of the Elite Programme," she said. "A lot of the students who go through the Elite Programme end up joining the Brotherhood—graduates automatically receive an invitation. I was invited like all of the others were, but because I was staying on the Wheel, it didn't make sense for me to join at the time. I declined." She clenched a fist, trying to stay calm; thinking about the Elite Programme was reminding her that Reginald, its future creator, was right in the same building. "I'm finding out more and more about the Programme and the Brotherhood today than I ever wanted to know."

The others looked at her, sensing the dark tone to her voice. Isobel gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's nothing important," Zoe lied. "It can wait; we have more important things to deal with."

"We do," the Brigadier agreed. "I'd like everyone—students and teachers—to stay away from the cellar for now; once reinforcements arrive, we will have to utilize the room to make sure that any Cybermen trying to reenter the school will fail in doing so." He now drew a portable transmitter from his pocket. "Benton?"

"Sir?" the corporal's voice crackled over a receiver.

"What's the status in the library?"

"Other than the trapdoor, there's nothing out of the ordinary. We've started putting the shelves back up."

"Forget about the shelves; I want every available man down here in the cellars on the double. We've found the Cybermen's point of entry. Call for backup and get down here right away."

"Yes, Sir."

"And now that Benton is on his way, I think it's best for all of you to return upstairs," the Brigadier said.

"All of us?" the Doctor asked. "I was under the impression that I would be aiding you in the sewers."

"Admirable sentiments, but, at the end of the day, you are a civilian, Doctor."

Isobel cleared her throat, holding up her camera.

"You, too, Miss Watkins," the Brigadier said. "We don't need a photographer at this point in time; I allowed you to accompany us because you requested the chance to see Miss Heriot again."

"Did you really?" Zoe asked, her mood brightening slightly.

Isobel nodded.

"I would like you to return to UNIT headquarters, Miss Watkins," the Brigadier continued. "Although I suppose you could return after dinner."

"Is there anything you would like?" Ian asked the Brigadier. "I'm sure we can arrange something for you and your men."

"We have our own provisions; you just help keep the students away from this cellar."

"Right."

Benton and the others arrived soon after; after the corporal reassured the Brigadier that reinforcements were on their way, the Brigadier then shooed the civilians out of the cellar and got to work.

"I still don' see why we couldnae help," Jamie pouted.

"I do wish that stubborn fool would have reconsidered denying my help," the Doctor agreed. "Well, never mind; I think we should all have supper."

"With all this going on?" Jamie asked.

"Actually, I am rather hungry," Zoe said. She turned to Isobel. "There are some nice eateries nearby; do you have any favorites?"

"I'm not picky," Isobel said. "We've got a lot to talk about; I say we go to the nearest place and catch up."

The girls wandered off down the corridor.

"…I really think we should follow their lead and get something to eat, too," Ian said. He paused as he noticed someone going past the girls and towards them. "Oh, hello, Barbara."

"Hello," she said. "I gathered that they've found out how the Cybermen entered the cellar?"

"Through the wall," Jamie said, with a nod.

"I see. …Jamie, I really think we need to have a word about your discretion."

"Eh?" the piper asked. "Have I nae been doing my classes right?"

"Not as far as I know," Barbara said. "I'm talking about telling some of the other students about the Cybermen. I would have thought that you would know better than to do that; you don't want to cause a panic."

"I di'n tell anyone aboot the Cybermen!" Jamie said, surprised. "Why would I do that? I'm nae _that_ stupid!"

"You didn't?" Barbara asked. "But how do you explain that one of the other students claimed that you were telling stories about the 'silver men' in the library?"

Jamie stared at her, open-mouthed.

"I di'n say anything aboot them!" Jamie exclaimed, his voice jumping up an octave. "All I said was that there'd been an accident in the library—that's it!"

"But Reginald said that he heard you mention the Cybermen in your dormitory," Barbara said, and then flinched as she realized she had given away the student's name.

"He wasn't even there!" Jamie protested. "It was just Luke and Percival, and I only told them there was an accident!"

"I do think that is quite enough," the Doctor declared, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Barbara, I realize why you would come to such a conclusion, based on what you heard, but if Jamie says he didn't do it, then he didn't do it."

"But, Doctor—"

"I've known Jamie for quite some time now, and one thing has been consistent since the very beginning." The Doctor gave Jamie's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "His word is his bond."

Barbara nodded.

"I see," she said. "Very well, Doctor. Jamie, I apologize."

"And I apologize, too," Jamie said, darkly. "Because I'm done with this whole thing. One day in school, and I am so glad I ne'er set foot in one and will ne'er have to set foot in another one again. I'm going back t' the TARDIS where I cannae ruin things for ye."

"Oh, Jamie, no!" the Doctor said, still holding onto Jamie's shoulder so that he couldn't storm off like he was attempting to.

"Oh, dear…" Barbara said, realizing that she had gone too far. "Jamie… Jamie, please try to understand how it looked from my standpoint."

"Aye, I know how it looked from yer standpoint!" Jamie said. "My word means nothing—only the Doctor's words mean anything!"

"Jamie, Barbara didn't mean to accuse you—" Ian began.

"Yes, I did," Barbara said. "There's no getting around that. But it was wrong for me to do so; I should have queried him first as to what he had said to any of the other students rather than accuse him of spreading stories."

"Aye, well, it only confirms that I was ne'er meant to be in a school. Oot in the fields, playing my bagpipes—that's the life I know and deserve!" Jamie fumed. "I don' belong in some academy for clever people." He turned to the Doctor. "Go on and tell them who I really am! I don' care anymore!"

The Doctor didn't remove his hand from Jamie's shoulder, but he did turn to Ian and Barbara.

"Jamie is a Highlander; I met him in 1746—Battle of Culloden. He couldn't even read or write; once he started traveling with me, I made it a point to give him an education to the best of my ability. And in exchange, I received a fiercely loyal companion—a companion that I do not hesitate to call family."

"Aye," Jamie said. "I may be a stupid uneducated fool. But I'd ne'er do anything that would endanger the Doctor's life—and spreading tales of the Cybermen would've increased the risk. Students would get curious, and the Doctor would put himself at risk to keep them oot of trouble."

"Jamie…" Barbara began, but the Scot turned away from her.

"You know…" the Doctor said, looking at Barbara pointedly. "You could say that it's the injustice that's upsetting him. …Ah, now where have I heard _that_ before?"

The headmistress gave the Doctor a look, before giving him a nod. Gently, the Doctor nudged Jamie towards Barbara while indicating for Ian to withdraw. Ian did so, and the Doctor soon followed, as Jamie continued to silently fume.

"You know, Jamie," Barbara said. "A very wise man once told me, 'As we learn about each other, so we learn about ourselves.' I just realized that I didn't really know you well until this moment. I let my zeal of wanting to keep my students safe get in the way of my ability to see the truth."

"Och, words!" Jamie said.

"You know, it seems like only yesterday that I was in the same position you were—falsely accused of something I didn't do."

"So ye did it t' someone else? Aye that makes perfect sense," the piper muttered.

"I'd forgotten what it was like. It is a terrible feeling, being accused of making things worse when that's the last thing you'd ever want to do. …You can leave if you'd like to, Jamie, and go back to the TARDIS, if that's what you really want to do. I couldn't blame you for that. But I would like for you to stay and continue helping us. I realize that is asking a lot of you," she added, as Jamie gave her a look of utter disbelief. "But I do trust you."

"No; ye trust the Doctor," Jamie pointed out.

"Yes, and the Doctor trusts you," Barbara said. "And he doesn't trust people blindly. …And I think you would rather stay here, where you know you can help the Doctor."

"…Aye."

"And we both agree that we want the Doctor to be safe."

"Aye."

"And it would mean very much for the Doctor if you were here with him. Won't you stay for his sake, Jamie?"

Jamie looked at Barbara, and then looked at the Doctor, who was talking to Ian further down the corridor. The piper nodded.

"I don' want the Cybermen hurting him," Jamie declared. He turned back to Barbara. "Aye, I'll stay. And I'll accept yer apology."

"You will?"

"Aye. If ye can trust me because the Doctor trusts me, then I can forgive ye, because the Doctor would forgive ye, too."

"Thank you, Jamie. And I really am sorry."

Jamie nodded.

"Aye, and now I'm hungry. Doctor!"

"Yes?" the Doctor said, now scrambling over to him.

"We've settled things here," the piper assured him. "And now I'm going t' go get something to eat."

"Oh, very good," the Doctor said.

"One last favor, Jamie," Barbara said. "I don't want you chasing down Reginald and asking him why he said what he did. I have a feeling he just wanted to explore and decided to blame the first person he thought of."

"Aye, alright…" the piper said, as he left.

"And be careful!" the Doctor called after him. He let out a sigh. "Well, that's one crisis averted."

"You have to understand my reasons for suspecting him," Barbara said.

"Understandable, yes," the Doctor admitted. Silently, he felt as though that Jamie wouldn't have taken the accusation that close to heart if the last fiasco with the Great Intelligence hadn't happened. Jamie still blamed himself for letting the Intelligence go, and the last thing he'd want was to be responsible for another failure.

"Pardon me, Doctor," Ian said. "But you said that he was an uneducated Highlander?"

"Yes, that's right. Everything he knows about science, mathematics, and reading and writing were things that I taught him."

"…I never would have guessed," Ian mused. "I did notice that he wasn't as fast as the other students, but to think that he was from two hundred years in the past…"

"Trying to keep up with the other students must have been very frustrating for him," Barbara realized. "And then to deal with me accusing him… Well, you know all about that, don't you, Doctor?"

The Doctor chuckled.

"I expect Jamie will warm up to you much like you did to me after that incident aboard the TARDIS," he said. "I suppose, in a way, this school is like your TARDIS, and the students are your charges, much like Susan was mine. Our protective nature merely got the better of us, but it turned out alright."

"Do you think Jamie will help protect my students in the same way Ian and I protected Susan and the TARDIS?"

"Oh, I know he will. Zoe, too."

"Zoe's doing very well in class," Ian said. "She's the best student I've seen since Susan. All of her Elite Programme training clearly has her at an advanced level when compared to the other students."

"More advanced than anyone in this decade could ever hope to reach; she's from the early 21st century," the Doctor said. "I advised her beforehand not to correct the 'archaic' level of the sciences in this decade."

"I wish you'd done the same for Susan," Barbara said. "She had us scratching our heads more than once."

"It was partly because of that, in fact, that led us to Totter's Lane," Ian admitted. "We…"

The three grew silent as Ian's stomach growled in hunger.

"Perhaps we should discuss this over supper?" Barbara offered. "The teachers have some choice eating spots in the area, as well."

"Supper sounds lovely," the Doctor said, with a smile.

And, with that, the three of them headed down the corridor, reminiscing over days that had since gone by.

* * *

Jamie's search for a meal ended up taking him to the same eatery where Zoe and Isobel were eating. He hovered nearby with his food, wondering if he should interrupt them, but soon found that he wasn't alone; Luke, Percival, Sandra, and Minerva were nearby, also wondering the same. Jamie greeted them.

"She's an old friend of Zoe's; she was in the area and they wanted to catch up," he explained, indicating Isobel.

"Do you think they'd mind if we asked them one question?" Minerva asked. "We decided where we wanted to go this Friday evening—to the Go-Go Club; it's about a five minute walk from here. You're invited, of course, and we wanted to invite Zoe, as well. We'll even invite her friend."

"Aye, I'd like that," Jamie said, not sure at all of what she meant, but confident that he'd enjoy it—whatever it was. "And I'm sure Zoe won' mind."

And as Jamie sat down with the others, Minerva walked over, politely apologizing for the interruption and inviting both of them to the Go-Go Club and saying that Jamie had agreed to go. Isobel considered it, but eventually declined, not sure if she would be busy Friday evening or not, but Zoe agreed. Minerva went back to join the others, and Isobel now mused over something.

"Zoe, do you know what a Go-Go-Club is?"

"No, not really."

"It's a dance club."

"…I don't know how to dance!" Zoe exclaimed.

"It's alright; I can teach you a few steps after we finish here," Isobel said, with a smile. "What I want to know is if _Jamie_ knows what he's getting himself into."

The girls glanced at Jamie, who was chatting with the others, clearly blissfully unaware of what a Go-Go Club entailed.

"…Do you think we should tell him?" Zoe asked.

She and Isobel exchanged glances and then broke into giggles.


	8. Cyber-A-Go-Go

The Doctor was the first to return to the school a few hours later, with Ian and Barbara in tow. They were heading towards Barbara's office, pausing to see a disgruntled Brigadier waiting for them.

"Did you find anything?" the Doctor asked.

"Not a thing," the Brigadier said, clearly irked. "There wasn't a single Cybermen in those sewers—oh, there was evidence that they had been there, but they have long since fled from those sewers."

The three civilians stood in sheepish silence as the Brigadier now gave the Doctor a long stare.

"I thought you said that the Cybermen wouldn't be quick to flee when they wanted these young minds for conversion?" the Brigadier asked.

"I was certain of it!' the Doctor exclaimed. "This goes against everything I was expecting from them."

"Be that as it may, Doctor, the fact remains that they are gone from the vicinity," the Brigadier said. "My men will continue to search everywhere in the sewers, but I don't hold any hope of us finding them."

"Unless they come back," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, is it possible that they might try to come back?" Ian asked.

"Yes; it's practically a certainty," the Doctor said. "I'm telling you, Brigadier, these students were and still are the desired targets for the Cybermen."

"In that case, I would request UNIT to stay here and continue guarding the students," Barbara said, before the Brigadier could reply. "We would need people to guard the doors and first-floor windows at night—and the cellar, of course—to prevent the Cybermen from reentering."

The Doctor looked to the Brigadier with a pleading expression; the seasoned soldier sighed in exasperation.

"Very well; I shall retain a squad of men here to protect the students," the Brigadier said. "Though I will say right now that I'll be thrilled when this blasted mess is all over and done with!"

"I'm pretty sure we can all agree to that," Ian sighed.

"There is one more matter," the Brigadier said, and he turned to Barbara. "Earlier this evening, we were discussing the possibility of someone on the inside aiding the Cybermen. I won't pretend to understand why they would do such a thing, but I do want you to be aware of any suspicious activity among the staff and students and report it to me as soon as possible; I'll be using one of the rooms here as a nerve center."

"Understood," Barbara said, with a nod. "But if we are to avert the suspicions of anyone on the inside who might be aiding the Cybermen, how shall we explain your presence here in the school?"

"Just tell them I'm an instructor for remedial mathematics lessons," the Brigadier said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Should the need arise, I can easily take on that role."

"_You_ can teach?" the Doctor asked, surprised.

"I could ask the same of you."

"…Touché."

"I'm going to go back downstairs and relay the new plan to the men," the Brigadier added. "When McCrimmon and Miss Heriot return, please see to it that Miss Watkins returns to UNIT HQ."

"We'll be sure to remind her," the Doctor promised.

Satisfied, the Brigadier went back to the cellar.

"What now?" Ian asked.

"I suggest we all carry on as normal," the Doctor sighed. "I'll you'll excuse me, I think I'll wait out front for Jamie and Zoe to return."

Ian and Barbara exchanged glances before Barbara nodded silently; the two of them followed the Doctor, determined to keep him company until Jamie and Zoe returned. They eventually arrived with the crowd of friends they had made; the Doctor drew back, not wanting to embarrass them. Isobel took her leave of Zoe; with Isobel no longer there to get her mind off of things, Zoe was quickly thinking back to the Elite Programme and wondering what to do in order to stop Reginald from ever starting it. She eventually headed off to the girls' dormitory with Sandra and Minerva, not even noticing the Doctor and the others.

Jamie, however, did notice; he let Luke and Percival go ahead without him, stopping briefly to wish the Doctor goodnight. For his part, the Doctor told him to stay alert to anything out of the ordinary. After promising that he would, as well as promising that he wouldn't wander off during the night, Jamie headed back up to his dormitory.

Ian and Barbara said nothing, but merely watched as the Doctor watched Jamie leave, taking note of the gentle fondness is the alien's eyes.

* * *

Life continued normally for the next few days at the school. The Brigadier was seen in civilian clothes; though no one spoke of the matter at hand, the grumpy look on his face seemed to suggest that there had been no sign of the Cybermen found.

Classes continued normally; Zoe was flying through her work as though it was nothing, and it was earning her the attention of many of her peers—some who requested help, while others merely requested answers. Sandra and Minerva worked wonders in shooing people away and allowing her to get some peace. And Zoe needed it; in addition to the Cybermen, the Reginald issue was dangling over her head, taunting her constantly.

For his part, Jamie found himself to be rather well-liked, particularly when, during afternoon soccer sessions, the piper proved himself to be a valuable player. He found the schoolwork difficult and a pain to understand, but he was quite enjoying the time with the new friends he had made. Still, Jamie longed for the Doctor's company again; as friendly as Luke and Percival were, the piper knew that there wasn't anyone else who could understand him as well as the Doctor did.

Soon, it was Friday, and classes had ended for the day; the students were preparing to celebrate the weekend, and the majority of them fully intended to follow Luke to the Go-Go Club. The prospect of this finally cheered Zoe up; she still remembered the steps that Isobel had taught her, and she was quite eager to see how Jamie would improvise once he realized what he had gotten himself into.

She wasn't disappointed; as she saw the look of stunned disbelief on Jamie's face as he saw the already-present patrons dancing, she only wished that she had brought a camera to capture the moment.

As they started to join the dancing crowed, Jamie gave Zoe a look as she coolly began to dance along with everyone, fitting in seemingly.

"Ye knew all along," he accused her.

Zoe merely gave him an innocent shrug and continued dancing.

Jamie stared at her with folded arms and disgruntled expression before deciding that he would make the most of this situation with what he had. The piper launched into the series of dance steps that he was the most familiar with—though dancing at a slightly faster pace to keep up with the up-tempo music.

Jamie soon got the attention of his peers.

"What do you call that?" Luke asked, amazed.

"The Highland Fling!" Jamie responded.

"…Can you teach that to us?" one of the other students asked.

Jamie stared.

"Are ye serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious. Those are some groovy steps! Oi, aren't those some groovy steps?" the student asked, provoking enthusiastic affirmations.

Jamie gave Zoe a triumphant grin.

"Aye, I can teach ye! Pay attention!"

Zoe merely shrugged to herself and joined the others as Jamie taught them the dance.

* * *

The Doctor was not in a good mood. He was repeatedly pacing Barbara's office as he, Barbara, and Ian listened to the Brigadier's latest update.

"There hasn't been a single sign of the Cybermen in any of the sewer lines, Underground tunnels, or anywhere on the school grounds," he said. "Doctor, I think we ought to face the possibility that they did give up on their plans for the school."

"I am telling you, that is not possible," the Doctor insisted. "You may have dealt with the Cybermen once before, Brigadier, but I have had significantly more experience in dealing with them!"

"Then what do you suggest I do, Doctor? Remain here while they could be possibly wreaking havoc elsewhere in England?" the Brigadier asked.

"Have there been any reports of Cybemen sightings?"

"No—"

"Then they are clearly playing the waiting game, and we must do the same!" the Doctor countered.

"The Doctor is usually right about these things," Ian said.

"Yes…" Barbara sighed. "I was half-tempted to stop the students from going out tonight, to be quite honest."

"They don't seem to have all gone," the Brigadier said, pointedly, as one of them peered into Barbara's office.

"Reginald?" Barbara asked, seeing who it was. "Is something wrong?"

"No, Headmistress," he said. "I was just inquiring as to the whereabouts of Zoe Heriot. There was something I wanted to speak to her about."

"Zoe is with most of the other students at the Go-Go Club," Barbara said.

"Are you quite certain?" Reginald asked, surprised, and with some amount of alarm. "Why would she go there with the rest of this backward lot?"

"To relax and celebrate the weekend, I presume," Ian said. "Why don't you go? It might do you some good."

Reginald responded with a look that was somewhere between blank and alarmed before retreating without another word.

"…Well, that was interesting…" the Doctor mused. "Is this the same Reginald who falsely claimed that Jamie told him about the Cybermen?"

"Yes, he is," Barbara said. "But you recognized him from your class, surely?"

"I'm… not very good with faces, I'm afraid," the Doctor admitted. "Jamie will elaborate on that if you ask him."

"The Doctor wouldn't have seen Reginald," Ian reminded Barbara. "He finished all of his physics requirements last term."

"Oh, yes; that's right," Barbara said. "He's an incredibly intelligent student, advanced far beyond his years. However, he speaks very disparagingly towards the other students; they resent him for that. He doesn't think too much of them, either; to be quite honest, I'm surprised that he is attempting to contact Zoe at all."

"Probably because she's able to outperform him," Ian mused. "Reginald Klieg has met his match at last."

"Yes, I suppose that might—_did you say_ _Klieg_!?" the Doctor exclaimed, his train of thought switching directions in midsentence.

The others stared at the Doctor in surprise.

"Does his surname mean something to you?" the Brigadier inquired.

"Yes…" the Doctor said. "That expedition to Telos that Jamie mentioned—the one where there were members of the Brotherhood of Logicians that attempted to use the Cybermen for their own ends? The mastermind behind that whole idea was a man named Eric Klieg—undoubtedly a descendant of Reginald Klieg, who probably started the Brotherhood of the Logicians and passed down the stories of the Cybermen. It all makes sense now…"

"Doctor, are you absolutely certain—?" Barbara began.

"Think about it!" the Doctor exclaimed. "You said that Reginald finished all of his physics requirements last term—and who were the unfortunate ones to suffer at the hands of the Cybermen?"

"…The physics teachers," the Brigadier finished, cursing under his breath.

"Then he knows about the Cybermen," Barbara realized. "And he blamed Jamie for spreading rumors to divert suspicion from himself!"

"Then he's been behind all of the gold thefts?" Ian queried.

"Undoubtedly in order to help the Cybermen; he probably struck on Friday evenings, when the other students were out having a good time," the Doctor said.

"And he was in and out of my office and the various staff rooms all of the time to ask questions about his studies," Barbara added. "He could have easily stolen my necklace and Mavis's medal."

"Yes; undoubtedly, he struck some sort of bargain with the Cybermen as his descendant eventually will—not that the Cybermen will honor it, of course," the Doctor said. "They don't keep promises."

"What sort of deal do you think he struck?" the Brigadier inquired. "Something like Tobias Vaughn?"

"More than likely, he promised the Cybermen safe passage into the school so that they could convert the students and staff in exchange for being able to use the Cybermen's strength for his own ends, not realizing that the Cybermen have no intentions of keeping their word and will convert him, as well."

"Thank goodness the Brigadier's men scared the Cybermen off," Barbara sighed. "At least the school is safe."

"And all we have to do now is keep a close watch on that little psychopath until he leads us to the Cybermen," the Brigadier finished. "Although the prospect of interrogating him seems to be more appealing…"

"Yes, I think we ought to question…" the Doctor began, but he trailed off as a look of dawning horror crossed his face. "Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…"

"Doctor, what is it?" Ian asked.

"I'll explain later; we have to get to the Go-Go Club _now_!" the Doctor insisted. "Brigadier, bring every available man and vehicle you've got along with us—and with as much gold and cleaning fluid as they can bring!"

"Shouldn't we be taking the TARDIS!?" Barbara exclaimed, as the Brigadier now contacted Benton.

"She doesn't do short hops well; our landing might be off, and we cannot risk that!" "Benton and the others will meet us outside," the Brigadier declared. "With everything they can get their hands on."

"Good; then let's hurry!"

The four sprinted out the door, down the corridor, and eventually made it outside.

"How do you know the Cybermen are going to be at the Go-Go Club?" Ian asked, as they crammed into the lead UNIT vehicle.

"You were mentioning that Reginald seemed intrigued by Zoe—that he'd finally found an intellectual equal," the Doctor said. "Naturally, he would consider her perfect as she was—not in need of conversion. Perhaps, he thought that they might be able to work together against the Cybermen—two instead of one would be better odds. And after the Brigadier scared off the Cybermen, he must have convinced the Cybermen to go after the students while they were at the Go-Go Club, which isn't under any guard at the moment; meanwhile, he'd be far away from all of that."

"_That's_ why he was questioning why Zoe was at the Go-Go Club," Barbara concluded. "He didn't count on someone as intelligent as her socializing with everyone else there, and he still wants to avoid seeing her converted?"

"Yes; it's likely he's going to try to get her out of there before the Cybermen move in," the Doctor said. "I just hope we're not too late, either."

* * *

Back at the Go-Go Club, Jamie was pleased to discover that he had become and instant dance sensation, and soon, the entire room was dancing the Highland Fling in time with the upbeat rock music. Even Zoe had decided to just go with the flow of things and was enjoying herself until someone suddenly seized her arm and pulled her aside, away from the dancing crowd.

"Reginald!?" Zoe hissed, glaring daggers at the sight of him.

"My apologies," Reginald said. "But I had to rescue you from this place; with a brilliant mind such as yours—"

"I came here of my own free will!" Zoe shot back, furious. "And I greatly resent the implication that my intelligence is an inhibition against socializing, except, apparently, under duress!"

"That was not what I intended to imply—"

"And furthermore, if I _ever_ needed rescuing, you would most certainly be the last person—"

"I'm not here to rescue you from them!" Reginald said, indicating the dancing crowd. "…Though I do question their sanity, now that I see what they're up to. They'll be much better off once they're perfected. But someone with your intelligence doesn't need to be perfected. We must leave before they arrive."

"Before _who_ arrive?" Zoe asked, absolutely bewildered. "You're making no sense at all!" Shooting him one more glare, Zoe retreated back into the dancing crowd as Reginald frantically called after her.

"What was that aboot?" Jamie asked, as he continued to dance.

"It's just someone who's supposed to be so intelligent being an absolute idiot," Zoe fumed.

"That sounds familiar…" Jamie mused, thinking about the Doctor.

"Not like that," Zoe said, realizing who Jamie was thinking of. "…It's that maddening Reginald—"

"Reginald!?" Jamie exclaimed, scowling as he stopped dancing. "That forked-tongue liar!"

"I see he's already upset you, too?"

"Aye; that conniving cheat told Barbara that I was telling him and the others aboot the Cy…" Jamie trailed off, noting that they were surrounded by students, even if they didn't seem to be paying any attention. "Ah, aboot the ye-know-whats." Jamie positioned his fingers above his head to mimic the Cybermen's head-handles.

"What!?" Zoe exclaimed.

"I wasnae telling anyone!" Jamie exclaimed. "Ye don' think I really was!?"

"No, of course not; I know you better than that!" Zoe insisted. "But we're left with a huge question now!"

"Eh?"

"How did Reginald know about… the you-know-whats!?"

Jamie stared at Zoe, blankly, for a full minute.

"Well, don't just stand there, Jamie! We've got to find him and find out what he knows—and how he found out! And…" Zoe trailed off as realization struck her. "They're coming."

"What?"

"Jamie, they're coming—_here_!" she realized, horrified. "He said that he wanted me to get out of here 'before they arrived,' because my intelligence meant that I didn't need to be 'perfected!' That's why they left the school—to come here!"

"Then we have t' get e'eryone oot of here!"

"How!?" Zoe said, indicating the dancing crowd.

"Leave that t' me," Jamie said. He clapped his hands and bellowed at the top of his voice. "Och, all of ye! There's one more part to the Highland Fling!" He grinned as the crowd began to pay attention to him again. "Aye, that's right—the part where we _fling_ ourselves oot the door! Come on, then!"

Jamie had no trouble in getting the others to follow him; he probably would have succeeded in the escape attempt had the door not been thrown off its hinges by a Cyberman. The piper now ushered the scared students back, placing himself at the head of the pack, staring down the metal man.


	9. Souls of Silver

The Cyberman surveyed the group of frightened students as a two more Cybermen entered the club.

"You will surrender peacefully and cooperate," the lead Cyberman said. "Obey all instructions, and you shall be unharmed."

"Who do you think you are!?" Luke exclaimed. "You can't parade in here, telling us what to do—"

"Maintain silence," the lead Cyberman ordered. "Any attempt at opposition will lead to immediate and permanent action being taken. Any attempt at an escape will also lead to immediate and permanent action being taken—we have other Cybermen guarding the outside of every single door and window."

He motioned to the other Cybermen, and they began to bring out a large box.

Luke looked about to say something else, but Jamie shut him up.

"Shush!" Jamie said. "Don' antagonize them, to they _will_ hurt ye—or worse!"

"What are they!?" Minerva whispered.

"Cybermen, from the planet Mondas," Zoe murmured.

"What!?" Percival asked, his eyes going wide. "You mean—"

"Aye, ye were right all the time," Jamie said. "But it willnae do us much good now. Someone has t' slip away and get word to the Doctor."

"You mean Doctor Smith?" Sandra asked.

"Aye; he'll know what t' do."

"Yes, but he just said that any attempt at an escape will be dealt with," Zoe whispered. "What do you suggest we do?"

"Is there a window in the bathroom?" Jamie asked.

"Yes," Minerva said. "But they'll be guarding the outside, they said."

"No—he's right!" Zoe whispered. "There'll be some sort of cleaning fluid in that bathroom; they're weak to that stuff! We can use it on the one guarding the window of the bathroom and escape!"

"They're going to wise up if we all disappear," Luke said. "You three girls had best slip away now, while they're setting up whatever."

"Aye, and find that traitorous Reginald while ye're at it," Jamie said. "I'll do my best t' stall here."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Zoe asked.

"Aye, I've seen the Doctor do it enough times." Jamie froze as he saw a Cybermat, along with various pieces of metal bits, being taken out of the box. "_Hurry_!"

Zoe caught a glimpse of the Cybermat and practically dragged Sandra and Minerva through the crowd as Jamie now stepped forward.

"Cybermats, eh?" he asked. "Och, I see ye're turning back to old tricks now that the whole alliance with Tobais Vaughn failed ye."

The lead Cyberman stopped, looking at Jamie.

"You know of our ways?" he queried.

"…Perhaps I do," Jamie said, trying to be as purposefully baffling as the Doctor sometimes managed to be. "Ye're a long ways off from Mondas, aren't ye? Why? Why Earth? Why us?"

"It is not your place to question us," the Cyberman said, unimpressed by his questions. "Your curiosity has no place with us. You and the other humans must be converted. You must become like us."

"And ye really think this idea of converting us right here in the Go-Go Club is going t' work?" Jamie asked.

"It will work. Here, we are away from those who could possibly offer you protection. They cannot interfere. The dare not interfere; their emotions inhibit them, and their fear of harm befalling you will prevent them from taking any action."

"I think ye're greatly underestimating the power that emotions have," Jamie said. "They can drive us t' do all sorts of things."

"They are weaknesses that can be exploited," the Cyberman countered. "And so, they must be removed for optimal efficiency."

The Cyberman shoved Jamie aside and now advanced upon the other students.

"The ones who show the most fear shall be converted first," he declared.

"No!" Jamie snarled, quickly darting around and standing between the Cybermen and the other students. "Ye willnae touch them as long as I'm here!"

"Step aside."

"No," Jamie declared. "Too many times, I've seen what ye do! On the Moonbase! On Telos! And here, on Earth! I won' let ye do any of that t' these students!"

"Jamie, for God's sake, do as he says and get out of the way!" Luke exclaimed. "He'll kill you!"

"No, he won' kill me. I'm too valuable t' him," Jamie said, smirking. "Aye, a physically fit specimen such as me would be useful."

The Cyberman stared at Jamie for a moment.

"Correct," he said, at last.

Jamie smirked, but his smirk soon faded as the Cyberman continued to speak.

"You will be first."

* * *

While all this was going on, the three girls had edged towards the bathroom, making a quick dash inside and somehow managing to make it unseen. Immediately, Zoe began to raid the cabinets underneath the sinks as Sandra crept towards the window.

"There's one there; they weren't bluffing," she stammered, quickly backing up against the wall, out of the sightlines of the window.

"They rarely are," Zoe said. "Here, take this bottle. Minerva, take this one." Zoe ducked under the window and stood beside the wall on the other side of it. "Now, on the count of three, I'm going to open the window; you pour the contents of those bottles onto that Cyberman."

"Are you certain this will work?" Minerva asked.

"Yes," Zoe replied, without a moment's hesitation. "One… two… three!"

Zoe had the window open in an instant, and the Cyberman looked up in time to get a facefull of cleaning solution. It let out a sound that was akin to a screech as it stumbled around, blindly.

"Don't gawk at it; it'll draw others!" Zoe said, leaping out of the window and tackling the Cyberman to the ground in the process.

Sandra and Minerva followed suit, and the three of them fled into the side parking lot, ducking behind cars as they made their way to the front of the building. Other Cybermen were, indeed, being drawn to the fallen one, puzzled by what had happened before returning to their posts with extra vigilance. Soon, a Cyberman from inside went through the open window to take the place of the fallen one.

"I just hope Jamie and the others won't suffer because of what we did," Zoe fretted. "If word gets back to the Cyberman in command, he might take it out on them. We have to get to the Doctor as soon as possible."

"Look!" Minerva exclaimed, pointing at the UNIT vehicles arriving.

"They already figured it out," Sandra said, impressed.

"Yes, but they need to know just how many Cybermen are out there; we still have to tell them everything we… Wait, who's that?" Zoe asked, seeing someone she had never seen before stride up to the lead UNIT vehicle. Whoever it was seemed to have a piece of metal attached to the side of his face. Ian and Barbara looked stunned and horrified to see this person, and Minerva's jaw dropped as Sandra let out a quiet gasp.

"It's McNeil!" she exclaimed.

"…Then they _did_ convert him," Zoe said, watching as the Doctor was putting himself between McNeil and the others. "You two wait here; I'm going to see if I can lend a hand with things."

Zoe continued to creep forward, and, soon, she was able to hear what was being said between McNeil and the others.

"The situation is as thus," McNeil was saying, in a monotone voice. "Any attempt to enter the structure will result in immediate action. The students are to remain in there, to be perfected like the Cybermen."

"What, 'perfected' just like you!?" the Doctor snarled. "Turned into emotionless puppets!?"

"If it for their good. All of their decadent emotions will be gone, allowing them to serve a new order that will rule this planet."

"McNeil!" Barbara hissed, looking dangerous. "McNeil, I hired you with the expectation that you would protect my students, not to work as a pawn alongside those trying to harm them! I trusted you!"

"It's not entirely his fault, I imagine; he would've hardly gone along with this voluntarily," the Doctor said. "However, I think trying to evoke an emotional response may be the key to undoing this."

Barbara nodded, continuing to chide McNeil. McNeil didn't seem to react to this, however; he continued to repeat the warning that the Cybermen had told him to deliver. But Zoe now saw her chance; she rushed forward from behind McNeil.

Before any of the adults could issue a cry for her safety, Zoe had judo-flipped McNeil. Benton and another solider were quick to bring him into custody, and the Doctor drew Zoe into a protective hug.

"Are you alright, Zoe?"

"Yes, I am," she said. "And so are Sandra and Minerva. But Jamie and all the other students are in there, with the Cybermen and Cybermats…" She trailed off as Sandra and Minerva now ran up to the UNIT vehicles, figuring they would be safer here than continuing to hide behind the cars.

"Jamie told the three of us to escape and tell Doctor Smith what happened, and so we did," Sandra explained. "I don't know what's going on, but those things are guarding the windows and the back exit. I guess they had McNeil guarding the front since they don't expect anyone to walk right in through the front."

"Where did you three girls escape from?" the Brigadier inquired. "We may have to use that as our point of entry."

"The bathroom window," Minerva said. "Zoe worked out the plan to pour cleaning fluid on the one guarding us."

"We used the cars in the parking lot as cover to get here," said Zoe. "We were planning on going back to the school to find you and warn you about Reginald—he knows about the Cybermen."

"He was here?" Ian asked.

Zoe nodded.

"He tried to convince me to leave; I didn't realize why until just before the Cybermen arrived. But, Doctor, Jamie is in there."

"Yes, I know…" the Doctor said, fretting. "Oh, Jamie, you hairy-legged Highlander, why didn't you escape with the girls?"

"He seemed to be trying to protect the other students, but I don't know for how long he can hold on," Zoe said. "I'm just afraid of what the Cybermen will do to him if he keeps showing resistance like that."

"He's a brave lad," the Brigadier agreed. "And we need to move quickly to help him and the others. We can't have the Cybermen on the outside interfering with our rescue efforts inside; we'll need to dispatch them."

"But there's no time! We have to get inside that building as soon as possible!" the Doctor exclaimed.

"If you neutralize the one outside the bathroom, we could slip inside while you dispatch the other ones," Zoe said.

"It seems there is no other choice," the Brigadier said. "Very well; Doctor, you take whoever you need with you. Leave the rest to us once we've dispatched of that Cyberman in front of the window."

"Yes; thank you," the Doctor said, with a nod. "But make sure you're quiet enough not to draw the attention of the others."

"We brought the cleaning fluid, as you suggested," the Brigadier reminded him. "We can handle them."

It seemed like an eternity before UNIT had dispatched the Cyberman in front of the restroom window. Zoe, Barbara, and Ian had already volunteered to go with the Doctor, and they were waiting along with him for the Brigadier to give them the all-clear. And all the Doctor could do was think about what could possibly be happening to Jamie and the others while they stood there.

At last, the Brigadier signaled to them that it was safe, and the Doctor was the first to clamber through the open window.

"You say that there are only two Cybermen inside the building, Zoe?" the Doctor whispered.

"Yes; there have to be," she whispered back. "There were three to start with, and one of them was the one UNIT just dispatched."

The Doctor nodded and then put a finger to his lips as he approached the bathroom door. Slowly, he edged the door open a crack, and then quickly closed it.

"One of them is right there," he murmured.

Just one Cyberman was standing between them and their intended rescue—assuming they weren't too late as it was.


	10. Heart of Gold

The would-be rescue party now glanced at each other for a moment. Silently, Barbara removed the gold necklace from around her neck and held it up with a firm nod, casting a silent glance towards the door.

"_Are you quite certain_…?" the Doctor silently mouthed, before stopping halfway. Of course she was quite certain—she was Barbara Wright. And this would be the best way to go about their conundrum—quickly and efficiently.

With the door opening outward, the Doctor now used his sonic screwdriver on the hinges so that he could gently pull the door inward. The Cyberman was standing with its back to them, trying to prevent the other students from trying to escape.

Within moments, it was over; Barbara had used the necklace to choke the Cyberman as Ian and the Doctor seized it by the arms and dragged it into the bathroom.

"What now?" Ian whispered, as they unceremoniously stuffed the now-dead Cyberman into one of the stalls.

"By Zoe's count, there should be only one left," the Doctor said.

"Yes, the leader," Zoe agreed.

"I shall keep it busy," the Doctor said. "Zoe, I want you, Ian, and Barbara to start getting the students out through this window once I hold that Cyberman's attention. No matter what trouble I may be in, make sure the students are getting to safety."

"Doctor…" Barbara whispered, holding out her gold necklace. "Keep this with you, just in case."

"What will you do without it?" the Doctor asked.

"There're more bottles of cleaner under the sinks," Zoe informed him. "Carrying that chain will be useful, seeing as though you can't see it if you hold it properly."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," the Doctor said, taking it. "Very well, then; I shall go first and work my way to wherever the Cyberman is. You handle the students, but make sure they are unobserved."

Without waiting for a response, the Doctor headed out of the bathroom, slipping into the crowd of students, who were silently standing together in fright, staring up towards the front of the room.

A few whispers followed the Doctor as he made his way to the front. There, he could see the lead Cyberman, staring at someone, who turned out to be Jamie. Jamie was separated from the group, and appeared to be silently staring the Cyberman down.

"Well done, Jamie; I shall take over now," the Doctor announced, breaking free of the group of students.

Luke and Percival, along with a few other students at the front of the pack, were frantically trying to warn the Doctor of something as he approached Jamie, but he was oblivious to their efforts.

"So!" the Doctor said, with a smirk. "It looks as though your plans have failed! The Cybermen outside are being dealt with as we speak, and the Cybermen inside have been neutralized! What do you have to say about that?"

"They are expendable," the lead Cyberman responded. "Here, I shall convert an army to complete the invasion that was prematurely halted."

"All by yourself?" the Doctor asked.

Wordlessly, the Cyberman looked at Jamie and made a circular motion with its hand. The piper turned to face the Doctor with a blank expression—and a piece of silver sticking to his left temple.

"_Jamie_…"

The sheer, unbridled horror in the Doctor's voice was something that Ian and Barbara had never heard before; despite that they were herding the students towards the bathroom exit, Ian headed forward, staring as he saw the converted Jamie.

"We tried to warn you!" Luke said. "He was so desperate not to let any of us get brainwashed that he let himself get brainwashed instead!"

Ian gently ushered him and Percival along to follow the other students.

"You will order the students back into this building," the Cyberman ordered the Doctor. "Or else I will have this human destroy you. Your emotions will make you too weak to fight back against him; this we know."

But the Doctor wasn't even listening to the Cyberman; all he could do was stare into Jamie's empty eyes.

"Jamie… Jamie, I _know_ that your mind is strong enough to resist the conversion. Look at me, Jamie. Focus on me—on my voice. You remember Toberman, don't you, Jamie? Do you remember how he was able to resist the conversion? His anger at the Cybermen allowed him to break free!"

Jamie didn't move or say a thing.

"Destroy him," the Cyberman ordered.

The piper took a few steps towards the Doctor; Barbara and Zoe called out in alarm while Ian rushed forward to help; the Doctor hollered at them to stay back, not taking his eyes off of Jamie, who was standing only inches from him.

"Jamie, you can break free from the cyber-control just as easily," the Doctor said, softly. "You have emotions that are much more powerful than anything the Cybermen could ever come up with."

Slowly, the Doctor placed his fingers over Jamie's right hand. Barbara's gold necklace was still in the Doctor's hand, and as the Doctor placed his palm over Jamie's, he gently pressed the necklace into Jamie's hand. A slight look of relief flashed across the Doctor's face, and a new determination filled his eyes.

"You know that as well as I do, Jamie," he said.

The piper still did not respond, but he didn't attack the Doctor, either, much to the frustration of the Cyberman.

"I ordered you to destroy him!" the Cyberman ordered, walking over to them and standing right beside Jamie.

"Jamie's mind does not belong to you!" the Doctor shot back. "Even after your conversion, he will not harm me; his emotions are stronger than that! You cannot—and _will not_—win this way!"

The Cyberman seemed to realize this, and decided to take matters into its own hands. With one swift motion, the Cyberman seized the Doctor by the throat.

Ian, Barbara, and Zoe immediately started across the room, but the Cyberman now turned to them.

"Bring the students back here, or this one dies."

To prove its point, the Cyberman tightened its grip around the Doctor's throat; the Time Lord flinched, falling back on his respiratory bypass system, but still feeling the pain from the attack.

And as quickly as it happened, it ended; a flash of rage filled Jamie's eyes, and with an angry shout, he pressed Barbara's gold necklace against the Cyberman's face.

Weakened, the Cyberman let go of the Doctor, but Jamie persisted with the attack until the Cyberman was still. The Doctor, who had taken a moment to massage his throat, now gently grasped Jamie's shoulders and helped him up.

"Jamie…?"

"Doc… Doctor…" the Scot stammered. "Are… Are ye…?"

"I'm quite alright," the Doctor assured him, gently. He tenderly placed his hand on the side of Jamie's face; a look of sadness crossed his own face as he felt the metal implant on Jamie's temple. "Oh, Jamie… I'm so sorry I wasn't here to prevent this from happening to you…"

Jamie shook his head slightly.

"It… would've been… one of the others… if nae me," he said. "I had to… protect them, e'en if it meant…" He flinched. "It hurts…"

"Yes, I imagine it would," the Doctor murmured to him, softly. "The implant seeks to suppress emotions; if you're actively resisting it, then, of course, it would hurt."

"Can… can ye…?"

"Yes, of course I can remove it. Ian, Barbara, Zoe… I shall need your help for this," the Doctor called to them.

They moved without any hesitation; Ian used his suitjacket to give Jamie something to rest his head upon as the Doctor gently laid Jamie onto the floor. The Doctor gently touched the metal implant with Barbara's necklace.

"That will deactivate it," he said. "Zoe, take this necklace and place it in that box with the Cybermat over there. Make sure it's completely deactivated, as well."

Zoe nodded and did so as the Doctor now placed his fingers on Jamie's temple, right next to the metal implant.

"Jamie, I'm going to make you fall asleep for a little while, and then manipulate your nervous system to help with things. Is that alright?"

The piper gave a nod, and the Doctor proceeded. The Brigadier entered about halfway through the delicate procedure; Barbara had quickly shushed him before he could startle the Doctor.

At last, the Doctor managed to remove the implant.

"There, that's done it," the Doctor sighed. "He'll feel a bit sore there, but there will be no lasting damage."

"Then there's hope for McNeil?" Ian asked.

"Oh, there's always hope," the Doctor assured him.

"Are you saying that McCrimmon was converted just like McNeil?" the Brigadier asked, stunned.

"Yes, but he never once gave in," the Doctor said, proudly.

"So it is possible to resist the conversion?" the Brigadier further inquired.

"Oh, absolutely," the Doctor said. "Evoking strong emotional responses will always cause resistance—the sort of emotional responses evoked by contact with loved ones, for instance. I imagine that if we remove that implant and reunite McNeil with his family and friends, he, too, will make a full recovery." He gently helped Jamie sit up as the piper began to stir. "How are you, Jamie?"

"Better," the Scot said, now managing a smile.

"Good," the Doctor said, now drawing him into a hug. "And mind that you don't ever give me a fright like that again! That goes for you, too, Zoe!"

"Of course, Doctor," Zoe promised. "But there is still one loose end left to tie up—Reginald."

"I'd sent some of the men back to the school," the Brigadier said. "It seems that young Mr. Klieg took his belongings and fled; we're looking for him, of course, but we have no clues as to where he might have gone."

"Klieg!?" Jamie exclaimed, as he and the Doctor now got to their feet. "Ye mean that chappie—"

"Yes, Jamie—ancestor of Eric Klieg," the Doctor sighed. "I'm afraid, Brigadier, that even if you do track him down, there is little you can do. He is going to spread the tale of the Cybermen to his progeny, and it will all come to a head on Telos."

"You can't possibly stand for that!" Zoe exclaimed, prompting everyone to look at her. "Doctor, we have to find him—wipe his memory so that he can't do that!"

"I'm afraid that these future events are technically a part of my past—and Jamie's," the Doctor explained. "It's become fixed, you see—we cannot possibly change it without creating a paradox."

"Then we have to stand back and let him escape!?" Zoe asked. "Let him create Brotherhood of the Logicians—_and_ the Elite Programme!?"

"Oh, I see…" the Doctor said, understanding the reason for Zoe's ire. "Zoe, come here."

Glumly, the astrophysicist stood beside the Doctor, who, while still holding Jamie in one arm, drew an arm around her.

"You know you mustn't change your personal past," he said. "You've heard me give that lecture to Jamie the numerous times he asked for me to help change the events of the Jacobite Rebellion."

"But this isn't changing the outcome of a war," Zoe said. "What kind of paradox would it create if I ordered him to forget about his plans for the Elite Programme?"

"It isn't that simple, Zoe; no matter how you try…" the Doctor began, but trailed off as Barbara cleared her throat.

"I believe I can explain this to her, Doctor," she said, with a smile.

"Yes, I do believe you can," the Doctor said.

Jamie blinked as Barbara now led Zoe off to the side.

"What does Barbara know aboot trying to change time?" he wondered.

"More than you'd expect," the Doctor said. "She learned that during a trip to Mexico we once took."

"Right around the time that the Doctor learned a lesson, too," Ian smirked. "Never indiscriminately make cocoa for others."

The Doctor gave him a look, but Jamie blinked in confusion again.

"Eh?"

"The Doctor didn't know that making a cup of cocoa for someone was considered to be a marriage proposal among the Aztecs," Ian continued. "What's more, she accepted."

Jamie gave him a look of disbelief.

"What did he do?" the Scot asked.

"Made his apologies and took his leave of the bride-to-be. I suppose she knew it wouldn't have worked between them," Ian said.

"Have you two quite finished with this subject now?" the Doctor inquired.

The Brigadier now cleared his throat.

"I need to rejoin my men," he announced. "We're going to search the area and attempt to look for Mr. Klieg—as well as make sure that there are no surviving Cybermen. I'll meet with you all in the morning and give you the details." He proceeded to give each of them a polite nod of farewell. "Take care, Mr. Chesterton, Mr. McCrimmon… Heartbreaker," he added to the Doctor.

"Ohhhh!" the little Time Lord fumed. "If you're going to leave, then leave!"

The Brigadier indeed left, with a smirk on his face, and it was with some vexation that the Doctor realized that there was an identical smirk on Jamie's face. This vexation quickly passed, however, as the Doctor reminded himself of how close Jamie had come to losing all of his emotions earlier.

The Time Lord sighed, drawing his arm around the piper again, hoping that Jamie would never truly know how frightened the Doctor had been to see that.

At least, he consoled himself, it was over now.

**Epilogue: With Your Blessing, I Will Go**

After Zoe and Barbara had finished their conversation, they rejoined the others, and the five of them returned back to the school grounds, where the rescued students had been taken by UNIT after their harrowing ordeal.

Luke, Percival, Sandra, and Minerva immediately ran up to check on Jamie. After the piper reassured them that he was fine and that the threat of the Cybermen was now gone, it did prompt Percival to ask something.

"…You're the Jacobite who went missing at Culloden in 1746, aren't you?" Percival queried.

"Aye, that was me," Jamie said, with a nod. "But I wasnae abducted. I went of my own free will."

"…And Doctor Smith…?" Percival began.

"Aye, he's an alien," Jamie said, as the Doctor gave a cheerful wave to Percival.

"What kind?" Percival gushed, as he waved back.

"I don' really know," Jamie admitted.

"Some sort of humanoid reptile, if you ask me," Zoe said.

"And where are you from, Zoe?" Luke asked. "Or, should I say, 'when' are you from?"

"I'm from the 21st century," Zoe replied, proudly, and she soon found herself bombarded with questions from the other students about what the future was like until Sandra and Minerva returned to their usual standby of shooing the others away.

Eventually, Barbara restored order and instructed the students back to their dormitories, giving them the assurance that there would be UNIT soldiers standing guard overnight until the final word came from the Brigadier in the morning.

Sensing that they would be leaving the following morning, Zoe opted to spend the night in the dormitory with Sandra and Minerva; Jamie, on the other hand, wanted to sleep in the TARDIS now that his cover was blown. The Doctor opted to do so, as well, and extended the invitation to Barbara and Ian, as their rooms were still intact. In the end, they declined; the Doctor suspected that it was because they didn't want to be tempted to leave their now stable lives behind.

He understood, of course, and spent the night by Jamie's side to make sure that he wasn't suffering any nightmares from his harrowing ordeal earlier that evening.

Morning brought the Brigadier and his report—there were no signs of the Cybermen within a ten-mile radius of the school. Unfortunately, there were no signs of Reginald Klieg, either. Zoe was disappointed at the latter news, but having talked it over with Barbara had helped her to feel better about her ordeal—and the fact that Isobel had also arrived to say goodbye, too, also helped.

The Brigadier had also informed them that they had contacted McNeil's family; McNeil had managed to say a few words to them over the phone—a sign that the Doctor saw as very positive indeed.

After promising Barbara that she could call for aid from UNIT whenever she needed, the Brigadier took his leave of them once more, as did Isobel.

"Well," the headmistress sighed, as they now went about the necessary task of returning the gold items they had stored for safekeeping. "I certainly am glad this is over. …Though, I presume we should start searching for a new physics teacher posthaste?"

The Doctor chuckled.

"You know me, Barbara. I can never stay in the same place for too long." He hesitated. "Of course, you two can always come with me again."

"A generous offer, Doctor," Ian said. "And though we would like to travel with you again, the fact of the matter is… our place is here."

"In the same way, I am sure my offer that Jamie and Zoe can stay here and finish off the term will be turned down," Barbara added.

"I would like to stay," Zoe said. "But I feel that I can do so much more traveling with the Doctor. Thank you, though."

"Och, it's a generous offer, too," Jamie said. "But my place is with the Doctor. …Besides, if I have t' wear trousers one more day, I'll go mad!"

The assembled group did laugh at this, but quickly sobered as they realized that it was time to say farewell. Once the gold had been returned, and after giving Jamie and Zoe enough time to say goodbye to the Luke, Percival, Sandra, and Minerva, Ian and Barbara followed the Doctor and the companions to the TARDIS.

Jamie said his goodbyes to Ian and Barbara first. Zoe went next, shaking Ian's hand, but then giving Barbara a hug.

"You remember what I told you, Zoe," Barbara whispered to her. "And you continue to be as brilliant as I know you can be."

Zoe nodded, her throat tightening as she pulled away and stood back to let the Doctor say goodbye to them now. Gently, the Time Lord took one of their hands in each of his, look to the both of them with a smile.

"Mind that you don't wait so long to call me next time," he said.

"We'll remember. And _you_ just remember that you are free to visit anytime," Ian reminded him.

"I'll second that," Barbara agreed. "And, Doctor… Thank you."

"It was my honor and my pleasure to come to the aid of two old friends," the Doctor assured them. "…Look after each other."

"You three look after each other, too," Barbara said.

The Doctor knew that any further chat would only serve to make the goodbyes more painful; he let go of both of their hands and stepped back until he was next to Jamie and Zoe and grasped each of them on a shoulder before leading them inside the TARDIS and closing the doors after one last wave.

Ian and Barbara stayed for a moment, watching until the familiar police box had completely dematerialized before returning back to their otherwise normal lives.

On board the TARDIS, the atmosphere was noticeably glum. Even Jamie, who hadn't seemed to get too attached to the other students, was upset—though his distress seemed to be stemming from the Doctor's.

Zoe was feeling sad upon saying goodbye to the friends she had made, as well, to say nothing of the disappointment that she hadn't, at least, given Reginald a good judo-throw as recompense for ruining her childhood.

Her thoughts soon turned to the Doctor and Jamie. Realizing that someone had to say something, Zoe picked up a cricket ball from the floor of the console room and cleared her throat as she held it up.

"Shall we?" she offered, innocently, as they turned towards her.

What followed was nothing short of utter chaos as the three of them alternated between bowling, batting, and fielding. And as cricket balls bounced every which way, Zoe had to admit to herself that even though Reginald's creation of the Elite Programme had robbed her of a normal childhood, it had, at least, led her to the life she was living now.

That, she agreed, was definitely worth a lot.

**The End**

* * *

_Notes: And, it's finished! Thanks to everyone who followed this! I'll be back later this month with a new fic._


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